Iron Script
by michellephoenix275
Summary: Gajeel and Levy survived the first leg of their solo mission together. Can they continue like this, or will they end up pushing each other away? (This is a sequel to "Iron Lace.") **Fairy Tail is the work of Hiro Mashima; it does not belong to me.
1. Introduction

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello friends! And welcome to another exciting adventure alongside the wonderful Gajeel Redfox and Levy McGarden (et al.). I hope you brought your appetite—at least your creative appetite, you know, the one that craves lemonade and punch—fun and fights—because we have a full _year_ of their wonderful, wonderful adventuring to enjoy. Just a quick word before we continue: Thank you again for all you beautiful people who read and at least pretend to like my stories, and, of course, I appreciate feedback. Also, as I mentioned in my farewell to the last story, if you have any suggestions for a scene, etc., that you want played out between Gajeel and Levy (specifically them for now, as I am still working on the spin-offs for the other characters), hit me up. If I don't get to them here, don't worry; I _will_ get to them. I will probably just be turning it into an alternate ending, or a one-shot.

For any possible new viewer who did not catch that little nod up top to the prequel story, this is the second part in a series of stories. The first is titled _Iron Lace_. It isn't hard to find. For those who haven't read it, and, unfortunately, are too excited to read the next adventure, below is a sort-of short synopsis on most of what you missed. I will warn you, however, that not all of it will be revealed in the synopsis, including several very steamy, you-probably-want-to-read-it scenes. If you haven't read it yet, but are so ready to dive right into the amazing kingdoms of Fiore from the beginning, I will advise you not to read past this sentence, as there will be many, many spoilers. If you have read the first part, you could really just skip right up to the next chapter.

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SPOILERS AHEAD

…

Note on the time-line: Ignore everything canon after the Grand Magic Games arc. This story takes place 2 years after Fairy Tail's win at the GMG.

Levy and Gajeel have been crazy-close since Tenrou Island. They hang out, best friends, pals. And, after the GMG, Levy begins daily training sessions with Pantherlily and Gajeel. She has become extremely powerful. She is now the best script mage in all the kingdoms, and one of the very few who can fight. She has her friends, money, happiness—everything except the man she loves. So, after years of dancing around each other, Levy hatches a plan to snag Gajeel—with the help of the Fairy Tail girls, of course.

She tricks him into a mission with her—just her, and Lily—and they set off to a remote location, where they will be forced to cozy up and cuddle in a small tent in the cold wilderness. Seems simple enough.

She didn't count on their mission to throw its own wrench in the works. When they arrive to begin their mission on Claw Island, they find that the ruins they were sent to open and explore are really a dragon tomb, which was used by dragons and dragon slayers as a sanctuary, and which is guarded by a strange supernatural being. This tomb holds the secret knowledge of dragon slayers, and could possibly lead the slayers to discovering where the dragons have been all these years.

Does Levy's plan work? Marvelously. This is Levy we're talking about. Not only do she and Gajeel finally, _finally_ come together, but they do actually _come together._ Gajeel claims her as his mate, which, through a slip of dragon slayer magic, means that he and Levy are now permanently, and happily, conjoined. They share a bed, and soon a last name, and magic—yes, magic—making both mages Iron Script Dragon Slayers. Neither have really explored their new magic yet, but they know they have access to it. Beyond that, they are now engaged, and expecting a baby. At the beginning of this story, Levy isn't very far along, only about a week, but through special magic pregnancy tests, it was confirmed.

Now, Levy and Gajeel, along with Lucy and Natsu—who are also mated—are out to finish the mission together. All the dragon slayers agreed that due to the risk of evil dragon slayers, or failing dragon magic, they would hand over the dragon-slayer scrolls to the Magic Council for safekeeping, and allow a guild of archaeologists into the tomb, as long as they were constantly chaperoned by at least one dragon slayer. So, our four favorite dragon slayers have stepped up to the task. They all need to get a grip on new magic, and they want to explore the tomb. Plus, Levy is an honorary archaeologist by now, and they will definitely be needing her help, since Draconic (dragon language) can only be understood or translated by a dragon or slayer. Levy and Gajeel have decided to remain in the tomb for roughly a year. They have plans to build a house, translate several books for Ms. Porlyusica on pregnancy for the guild, train up, and learn how to be a fiancée—maybe soon a wife—as well as a dragon slayer, and a mother.

That gets you mostly caught up. Well. On everything relevant to this story. The next installment is already planned out; you may need more information for it later, but it will be thrown into the actual text.

That being said, this is, again, just a glossing-over of everything. If you want the full details, read, read, read. The prequel is called _Iron Lace_. Just click up on my tag up top, the click on the story. Super easy.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the second act of the life and times of Gajeel and Levy!


	2. New Project

There were nine people on that ship.

Nine.

So the fact that they were taking up the _entire ship_ was either impressive, or terrifying.

Levy had seen _Erza_ pack an entire cart load for a weekend spa trip—and she was a requip mage that didn't need to actually pack clothes. But even she was awe-struck at the sheer amount of _stuff_ they had all brought. Sure, she and Gajeel between them had four large suitcases, an extremely heavy trunk full of books, and a travelling pack. But it looked as though every member of Golden Sarcophagus had luggage on the vessel, not just the seven that stood packed like sardines in the cargo hold. They had every imaginable piece of archaeological equipment—scientific and otherwise—and each had bags of clothes and at least two boxes _each_ of books _and_ three—yes three—wooden chests the same size Levy had packed full of communal books. Then there were crates and crates of food, barrels of clean water, camping gear, all-weather gear, and even a large fluffy sofa.

Levy leaned back against Gajeel's legs and watched their host argue back and forth with a pretty blonde woman. Gajeel was paying attention to the tiny blunette before him; he didn't care about whatever it was they couldn't agree on. He couldn't resist the urge to touch her hair, rolling the locks between his fingers.

Levy, on the other hand, was completely entranced. She was so used to only being able to talk to Freed about her work—translation, script magic, runic languages. And there weren't many in Fairy Tail who could keep up with her when she was excited, or agitated, since she tended to switch rapidly between languages—several of which were long dead.

Sorren and the girl—Kara, Levy remembered from their brief introduction—were in the midst of a heated debate on the easiest way to translate a newly discovered language—one so new even Levy didn't recognize it. To top it off, they were switching seamlessly between over a dozen languages without even seeming to notice.

"I'm telling you, it just makes more sense to begin by first translating it into Ancient Fiorian before the modern common language." The woman was saying. Levy glanced over them at the board where they'd put the piece they'd been working on. She did see more similarities between the new language and Ancient Fiorian.

"And I am saying that is a waste of time. It takes even longer to translate it both ways than it would to put the extra effort into a direct translation!" they were both very animated, hands waving madly about as they went back and forth.

Levy cocked her head and studied the piece, which looked like a very well-preserved book's page. There were notes around it, dating the language. Her work-brain took over, trying to work through the translation on impulse.

"You're both wrong," She said after a few minutes, making both archaeologists stop mid-sentence. If Levy noticed the skeptical looks she got from both, she ignored them. She stood and walked over to the board, pulling Gajeel up and along with her—she didn't want anything to do with that awful motion sickness again. She pulled her light pen from her boot and stepped forward. "If you look at the structure of the sentences, words, and characters, you can see a distinct similarity to Ancient Boscan. If you start translating straight to that," She made a few marks, and wrote out a couple of sentences with characters Gajeel couldn't read. "Then it is just a standard translation from Ancient to modern Boscan, then to the modern common tongue." Levy turned, brandishing her light pen

Sorren was giving her that look again, one Levy could only describe as vaguely hungry—predatory. Kara was looking at her, though, with a touch of hero-worship in her eyes. Levy's smile fell, and she faltered. "What? Did I mess something up" She whirled around, worry creasing her face. She knew how mad she could get whenever someone even ruffled her notes.

"No! Of course not!" Kara exclaimed, rushing over and grabbing her hand as Levy went to wipe away her notes. "No, that's not it. We're just amazed someone could even follow our conversation, let alone correct it. And you're right; this would just about cut our work-time in half." The woman raked her eyes over the page, tapping one slim finger against her chin. "It also makes the tenses and the strange verb pattern make sense, too. You know, this is so similar to Ancient Boscan…It's from a tiny island about forty miles east of Claw Island, actually. Did you know that?" She pulled herself up to sit cross-legged on a crate full of apples. Levy's face was full of that hunger for knowledge that kept her shut in the stacks of the Guild library for weeks on end as she sat on the rocking floor, scooting forward to let Gajeel sit behind her against her chest of books. The floor was cold; at Levy's shiver, Gajeel reached into one of their big suitcases and pulled out a big fluffy throw blanket, wrapping it around the both of them.

"Until recently, we had not known the island was ever inhabited. This," She gestured at the board, "Is one page of a text that appears to be a historical account of the people who settled there. The problem is that this is a language we've never seen, with no sort of Rosetta stone available. We are having to do all of it from scratch."  
Kara did not miss the excitement filling Levy's face as she looked longingly at the text. Gajeel knew it was hopeless; nothing would keep his shrimp from this new project.

"Would you like to help me in this venture, Mrs. Redfox?" She asked hopefully.

Levy nodded for a moment before freezing and turning beet red. "I-it's n-not Redfox, yet." She stuttered.

Kra's eyes flashed between Levy's blush, Gajeel's completely contented face where he rested his chin on her hair, and the slight movement under the blanket where Gajeel was rubbing warm circles on her belly. "I thought we were working with Team Redfox. And didn't I see a ring earlier?"

"Well, w-we _are_ Team Redfox; it's just my last name is still McGarden." Levy smiled.

"Team Redfox is a sep'rate team within Shadowgear." Gajeel said softly. His eyes were closed; he was entirely at ease, almost reduced to a puddle of goo by his woman. Not that he would ever admit it. "Makes more sense. Two Redfoxes, 'bout to be 3. And my cat. McGarden is the odd one out."

Kara looked even more confused. "I thought Black Steel Gajeel had no other ffamily. Who's the other Redfox?"

Levy laughed and slipped her hand over Gajeel's under the blanket. "Silly dragon." She teased. "It's not a Redfox yet, either."

Gajeel cracked one eye open to look down at Levy's hair. "Whatcha mean, ain't a Redfox? 'Course it's a Redfox."

Levy shook her head, disturbing his resting place. "Nope, until we're married, he or she is also a McGarden. And since Lily is A) not here, and B) not a Redfox either, that technically makes you the odd one out." Kara still looked royally confused. "I'm pregnant." Levy said. She loved saying it. Loved the way Gajeel's heart skipped a beat, and the way he pulled her a fraction of an inch closer every time she did say it. And she loved how, no matter whether or not they liked children, everyone she told immediately had this insanely happy glimmer in their gaze, if only for a moment, or, like her new friend, Kara, they would give her a smile that threatened to break their face in half.

"Really?" She didn't pause to give Levy a chance to answer. "And you're staying for a year with us, right?" Levy nodded, and Kara jumped up, squealing and pulling Levy up off the floor for a big, crushing hug. "I'm so excited! I love babies! Does it have a godmother yet?"

Levy almost couldn't resist the big blue doe-eyes Kara was giving her; she almost decided to make Kara the godmother, until an image of Mira's reaction flashed through her mind. The blunette blanched and said in a deadpan voice "Yes."

Gajeel groaned loudly, reaching for Levy's hand as the motion sickness suddenly caught up with him. Instead of her hand, though, he got a good handful of her butt. Levy jumped and glanced down at him in surprise, blushing furiously again. "Uh, Gajeel?" He hummed in response, the motion sickness fading away again. He flexed his hand, making Levy's skin tingle. "Gajeel, what are you doing?"

Kara glanced down and noticed where his hand was and giggled. "Do you need me to let you two alone for a bit?" She asked

"No," Levy said.

"Yes," Gajeel said a little louder, at the same time. He wore a wicked grin, both eyes open now and on her ass. Levy reached back and tried smacking his hand away, but he caught her wrist in his other hand. They shared a deep, lust-filled look. "You sure 'bout that, love?" Gajeel asked, letting his voice get deeper and huskier, the way he knew made her blood race. Sure enough, he saw her inhale sharply at his words. Levy didn't answer, caught in his gaze, easy prey.

Kara's eyes widened a bit. She _had_ just been joking. And then she saw the looks they were giving each other, and was surprised they still had clothes on. As quietly as she could, she left the room, dragging Sorren away from the board as she did and shutting the hatch leading down to the cargo bay as she went, making sure everyone knew not to go down there until they saw the couple again. She didn't tell anyone what they were doing, of course, but they knew. Of course they knew.

 _And these two aren't married?_ Kara thought. She shook her head. This was going to be a long trip. She was very glad they had decided to pack extra earplugs; they would need them.


	3. Ship Wrecked

Levy didn't notice Kara and Sorren leaving. She didn't care if they had. Her vision had tunneled down to his eyes—liquid red pools of pure desire that made her knees quake and her heartbeat roar in her ears. It was a look that told her just how beautiful she was in his eyes, just how much he loved her body. But that smirk was different than his usual devil-may-care, fuck-off smirk he gave everyone else; it was softer, more of a smile, and that told her how much he cared for _her_. _That_ was what made her fall to her knees, straddling him on the floor of the ship, arms wrapping around his neck to tug on a strand of his hair. His gaze got more wild as she did this, and he almost lost it when she leaned down and nipped at his throat.

Gajeel growled, both hands reaching down to grip her ass tight, nails digging in a little. Did she know what she was doing to him? The short, breathy laugh she answered him with told him she did—she definitely did. Gajeel was a dragon, predator, hunter. And she was challenging him. More than that, she was _playing_ with him, and she was letting him know she could take what he gave back. Altogether, that spelled out the most powerful aphrodisiac on the planet for him.

"Don't rip the dress." Levy warned, her breath hot in his ear. Then, she surprised him by tearing his shirt off of him, shredding it under her nails and leaving hot red trails across his chest that made his muscles tense and his shaft twitch under her. Levy laughed again, and leaned back to look him in the eyes again. He saw her brown eyes sparkling with mirth and need. If she wanted to play, that was fine with him.

Slowly, purposefully, he lowered the zipper of the dress, holding her gaze, so slowly that they could hear each individual element pull through the slider like the ticking of a clock. Levy's chest heaved with slow, deep, ragged breaths. It was a full minute before he reached the bottom of the zip, and he could tell she was just putty in his hands now. They stood, and he pulled the dress over her head, tossing it across the hold. He reached for his shrimp, but she grinned and scooted just out of reach. His smirk grew, and he growled as he crouched, readying to pounce. Levy waited until his hand brushed her arm, easing the motion sickness that was rearing its head, before ducking under him and leaping on top of a steamer trunk. Gajeel chuckled darkly and suddenly disappeared into the shadows. Levy's eyes widened and she spun in place, looking for him, but she was looking for a shadow in a shadowed room lit by swinging lanterns. She squealed in surprise when her own shadow jumped up and his solid arms encircled her waist, lifting her up. She kicked her legs and giggled as he tickled her sides until tears were running down her face.

"Okay! Okay!" She gasped. "I give! You win!"

"I don't think so, Blue." He growled in her ear. "You can't get out of this that easy." He did stop tickling her, though. "In fact, I think I oughtta punish ya for that little stunt you pulled." He felt her heartrate jump as she raised her head, looking up at him apprehensively.

"Punish me?" She asked quietly.

Gajeel nodded gravely, keeping a straight face, forcing himself to frown like a disappointed teacher. "Oh, yeah, shrimp. I think you need to be punished. So, I'm not gonna give you what you want." He let her go and hopped down from the trunk. Levy's eyes were saucers, her mouth open in an adorable 'o' of incredulity. He sat back down on the couch and shook his head. "Pity. And I was ready to make ya scream for me, shrimp."

Levy raced to the couch and stood in front of him, a pout on her face and her hands on her hips. "So you're saying you've got me all worked up for nothing?" Gajeel nodded again. He almost broke at the frustration in her eyes. "You can't be serious." She said uncertainly. "You are serious?" he didn't say anything, didn't move. "Come on, Gajeel." She whined. "Please?"

Gajeel appeared to think for a moment. "Alright. But you have to apologize."

"Apologize?" Levy's face twisted in confusion.

"Yes. You were a tease. Say you're sorry."

Levy straddled his lap, pressing her wet core against his clothed crotch. "I'm sorry, my sexy dragon," She said in a sweet voice, almost purring. She ran the tips of her fingernails up and down his chest and over his abs, feeling his muscles spasm. "I'm sorry I teased you. Now, will you please make love to me?"

Gajeel finally broke, face cracking in a wide smile and bursting into laughter. "Gihihi! That's all I wanted to hear, shrimp." Before Levy knew what was happening, he had his pants pulled down and his cock lined up, sliding up and down along her slit. She moaned and arched against him.

"Yes!" She leaned down again to his ear and whispered, "Take me, Gajeel, take your woman. Take me hard." Gajeel's control snapped, and he grabbed her waist, slamming her down. Heedless of the crew above, she threw back her head and cried out his name, nails digging into his skin. She shifted so that her knees were braced against the couch, and began thrusting her body up and down, Gajeel's hands on her hips adding force to her movements. They both grunted and growled as they tried to get him as deep inside her as possible.

Gajeel stood and wriggled free of his pants, Levy's legs wrapping around his waist. He slammed her against the wall of the ship and grabbed her hands, stretching her arms to the side so that she was held up just by his hips. Levy moaned as he pounded into her and nipped at her neck, leaving bite marks over every inch of her neck and collar bone, down to the tops of her breasts.

She growled and broke free of his hands, shoving him back and tightening her legs so she would fall free of him. Gajeel stumbled back in surprise, tripping over a crate of peaches and breaking the wooden box, fruit rolling across the floor. He caught himself on his elbows, looking up to see Levy silhouetted against the lantern glow, sitting up on top of him, hands in her hair as she pressed her core as hard as she could against him, grinding her hips back and forth. She closed her eyes, mouth open in ecstasy. Gajeel thought she was the sexiest thing he had ever seen, and just watched her for a few minutes, groaning with her gyrations.

When he felt himself about to burst, he grabbed her hips and pulled her off. She whined at the loss of him inside her, until he put her on the couch and roughly maneuvered her on her hands and knees, kneeling on the cushions behind her. Levy arched her back and cried out as he slammed his cock back into her wet folds, as hard as he could. He fucked her hard and fast, one long growl growing louder and louder escaping his lips. They heard the couch creaking, shifting in its frame. But they didn't dare stop.

"Yes! Gajeel!" Levy yelled, throwing her head back. Gajeel leaned over her back and grabbed her hair in a fist, pulling it to the side, maybe a little harder than he meant to, but Levy didn't seem to mind, gasping in pleasure, and crying out as he bit into her shoulder, his hips shuddering as he thrust deep once more, harder than before, filling her with his hot seed. With that final thrust, the couch gave, the legs cracking and the couch falling the few inches to the floor with the sound of snapping wood.

Levy and Gajeel laughed, breathing heavily and covered with a sheen of sweat. "I think we wrecked the ship," Levy said, looking around, the splintered crate and couch, a dent in the wall from where Gajeel had shoved her earlier, and a couple of other crushed crates she hadn't noticed before.

"Worth it." Gajeel answered, chuckling and kissing her lips as he withdrew his cock from her. Levy gasped at the sensation.

"Oh, yeah." Levy answered. "What are we going to tell the others about what happened in here?" She asked, blushing.

"Gihihi. Shrimp? They already know. You weren't too quiet." Gajeel looked pleased with himself. Levy smacked him on the chest, but she was still laughing and trying to catch her breath.

"Come one, we'll arrive soon. Where'd my dress end up?"

Gajeel grinned and shrugged. "I dunno, shrimp. Guess you'll just have to go without." Levy joined him in his laughter and let him pull her back down for a few more minutes of snuggling before they had to go back to work.

On the deck above, the crew were avoiding each other's eyes, hands gripping ship's rails and pants' legs. This was definitely going to be a long, long expedition.


	4. Magnifying Glass

**NOTE** _ **Okay, so, I'm not dead. I am, however, very sorry for making you wait for another chapter. I have been sick. I am in the middle of a very stressful move. I had taken on a second job for a few weeks. And, to top it off, school is starting back up, and I have been trapped in the prep for that. So, I humbly bow my head and ask forgiveness, and offer up this extra long chapter as penance, along with the promise of more chapters to come in the next few days. On a brighter note, I do have everything outlined, including the next part, and a few one shots that I just have to type up, so we have that to look forward to!**_

 _ **So, without further ado, I present our next chapter.**_

"I want a horse." Levy said suddenly, rubbing her stomach. She was standing barefoot on the shore of Claw Island. No one was letting her help unload the ship, under the careful glare of Gajeel Redfox, so she was left to guard their belongings until the ship was firmly at anchor and one of the crew could come ashore with it, so that she and Gajeel could go alert Lucy and Natsu of their arrival.

Gajeel gave her a strange look as he set down one of the large chests of books with a grunt. "What? A horse?"

Levy nodded. "Yes. I want a horse. I've always wanted a horse." She had always imagined raising her children around animals—horses especially—such loving, devoted creatures.

Gajeel stood with his hands on his hips. "Okay, yeah, we'll getcha a horse, just as soon as we get back to our new place." He said.

"No, I mean, I want a horse _now_." She embellished. "Well, obviously not _right_ now. But, when we are settled, and we start building our second house, I want to get a horse."

Gajeel was incredibly confused. Had he missed something during his trip to the ship and back for a third load? "I don't know, shrimp. Maybe."

Levy looked at him, and he saw a strange longing in her eyes. "I just…I want…Oh, I don't know." She frowned, still rubbing her stomach. "I'm just…so ready to be a mother, I guess."

Gajeel smiled, still not quite understanding. He pulled her into a hug and rested his cheek on top of her head. "Don't worry, shrimp, our little fighter's gonna be here before ya know it."

Levy smiled and wrapped her arms around his bare torso. He hadn't bothered to pull another shirt out of their bags after she'd torn up his other one. "I know. It's just this weird feeling. Like something's missing, like I should be doing something, for someone. I can't put my finger on it. Raising a horse feels like it might help."

Now, Gajeel understood. "Ah, that'd be those dragon's maternal instincts starting. It's usually the first sign of pregnancy with a dragon or slayer." He thought for a moment. "You know, starting a horse here might not be the best idea. A year fer a horse is a long time; it'd be hard to get it to adjust when we return home, and even harder on the horse for the trek back, on the ship." She nodded sadly. "We'll figure somethin' out." He promised, trying to come up with a compromise, an idea in the back of his mind growing. He kept it a secret, though, for now.

"Why don't you two go get the reinforcements." A hand clapped on Gajeel's shoulder, and he turned to see a dark-skinned man in board shorts and a tank top behind him. "I got this here." He gestured to the slowly growing pile of their luggage on the sand.

"Thanks," he grunted, tucking Levy under one arm and walking towards the trees that hid the massive entrance. As they walked, they noticed a few clearings ringed by black singed trees, and a couple places that showed signs of a recent fight. They were a little apprehensive, separating to walk cautiously the rest of the way, shooting glances into the trees to detect any followers. It was quiet, though, and they entered the tomb without incident. Just as the doors thudded shut, Levy heard Lucy let out a short scream, and she took off to the huts.

"Natsu, how could you?" Levy heard as she rounded one of the houses, bringing the couple into view.

Levy couldn't help the giglges spilling from her as she caught her breath. Lucy was standing with her hands on her hips glaring at Natsu, who was grinning maniacally. Between them burned a pile of what appeared to be every bra Lucy owned. Gajeel stopped dead and barked a laugh.

"Natsu," The blonde whined, gesturing with anger and despair at the burning mess. "Why on Earthland would you do something like this?"

He shrugged, but stood his ground, meeting her eyes. "You look better without 'em. You don't need 'em."

"Do you know how much I spent on some of those? Do you realize how expensive women's underwear is?"

He shrugged again. "An even better reason not to wear them."

Lucy's mouth flopped open, and Gajeel laughed again. "Oi, hot-head, think you could do that to the Shrimp's underwear, too?" Levy stopped laughing, turning to glare in shock at Gajeel, a clear warning in her eyes. "Er, never mind," He said, understanding the silent threat. He knew to choose his battles.

Lucy squeezed the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. "Okay, you know what? We have more important things to do right now. Get rid of this. Then we need to go help unpack the ship." Natsu grinned and shot a white-hot bolt of flame at the pile. In seconds, it had been reduced to hot ash, and Lucy just shook her head again. Levy placed a hand on her back in a show of support. She took a deep, mournful breath. "Okay. Let's go. You two coming back as well?" She asked with a glance back at the iron dragons.

Levy shook her head, digging out her notebook and eyeing the diagram she had built for the unpacking plans. "No, I am going to stay here and direct traffic. You three can go."

"I'll stay with ya then." Gajeel said, crossing his arms and expecting an argument.

"Okay. I assumed you didn't want me moving anything around anyway," Levy said, not glancing up from her paper. "Lucy, make sure they don't destroy my books."

"How many did she bring?" Lucy asked Gajeel quietly.

"Not as many as I thought she would. More than she needed. Less than the library the guild's brought." Gajeel answered, a little stunned that Levy hadn't given him more grief. He glanced back over where Levy had been standing, only to find her gone. He spun, panicked for a moment, but there she was, talking to Guardian and pointing at something on her paper. He shook his head at his own silliness. He walked over to them as bunny girl and the flame-head walked away towards the entrance.

Guardian was giving her a surprised, delighted smile. "Of course you can, if you'd like. There is plenty of room."

Levy beamed. "Brilliant! We could get lumber and clay from the island for brick, and all the lacrima and building supplies from Alabaster. I know Gajeel was wanting to make a crib for the baby, and—"

"Baby?" Guardian asked, eyes widening. He glanced down to where Levy's free hand was resting on her flat stomach. "Ms. Levy is pregnant?" His grin grew. "That is wonderful! There has not been a child here since Grandeeney and Wendy left."

Gajeel slung an arm over Levy's shoulders and looked over her shoulder at her notebook, filled with diagrams and chicken-scratch notes in some sort of shorthand he didn't recognize. "I was thinking about putting it right by the river, over there, so that there is plenty of shade, and a bit of privacy. I kind of wanted to put up a gate as well, if only for the baby." Gajeel nodded; he hadn't even thought of that, but it was a good idea. "And then I was thinking we buy some chickens and maybe a couple of goats, since there will be so many people here, and for so long, so that we don't deplete the forest." Guardian was nodding, looking at the encampment as though mapping it out in his head. "Lucy said she liked the idea of another cottage for her and Natsu when I told her of our plans. I was thinking over here would be the best place," She pointed on her map at a place on the other side of the camp, away from the forest, away from the tall grasses of the field, and away from the thatch-roofed huts. "To avoid any unnecessary and accidental destruction. And then another fire pit here, and here." She pointed again at the diagram, at two spots between each new house and the camp.

"Well, Ms. Levy, I believe you have an excellent eye for this. It is a wonderful idea, and I would be glad to assist with whatever you need me to." Guardian said eagerly. There was a look in his eyes that told Gajeel just how lonely he had been, how much he yearned for contact.

Then Gajeel caught sight of another building marked on the diagram, this one on the other side of the river, a bit away from the water, marked with a cursive L. "Oi, and what is that one, shrimp?" He said, gesturing at it.

Levy grinned a little sheepishly, like she had been caught doing something embarrassing. "That is…a library." She answered. "And the first building I plan on putting together."

"A library." Gajeel replied flatly. He should have assumed she would do something like that.

"Yes, a library." She sounded defensive now. "I want a place where we can keep a copy of every bit of dragon history, Draconic writing, every bit of precious information we can find on dragons and dragon slayers. I have all of my copies, and a dozen or so others from the Guild library and from Ms. Porlyusica that I intend to make copies of while we are here. I also plan on making this the home for my collections on extremely rare magic, keeping just my notes and any extra copies at our house in Magnolia." Gajeel raised an eyebrow. He had never known Levy to part with her precious books willingly—especially not when it was her idea. "Some of those books are worth more that we will make on this job, Gajeel, and we are about to have a baby crawling around the house, and with how much we…" She cut off, blushing and glancing back over at Guardian. "I don't think he or she will be our last. Babies are cute and sweet and wonderful; however, they drool and spit up and color on things they don't understand, and I don't want my books ruined. Some of them are the only known copies in all the kingdoms. I won't risk that sort of a loss of knowledge."

Gajeel bent and gave her a quick kiss. When her brow furrowed curiously, he laughed. "Gihihi. You kind of lost me when you said this baby wouldn't be our last." She laughed with him, letting the notebook close and resting her head against his side. He leaned and whispered in her ear. "It just made me think of tryin' for all those kids, love." Levy giggled.

"This place is awesome!" Kara's voice echoed strangely around the cavern. She and half of the rest of the crew were walking towards the campsite, loaded down with boxes and bags, a couple of them carrying the now-broken couch, the site of which made Levy blush and bury her head into Gajeel. He just chuckled, knowing exactly what had gotten to her.

"That won't be the only piece of furniture we're gonna break, shrimp." He promised, not bothering to whisper, and she smacked his chest. He grinned, already looking forward to the destruction of many couches with his pregnant fiancée.

The unpacking went like clockwork. Levy ran around brandishing her pen, taking control of the crew to maximize efficiency. Gajeel followed her, watching her like a hawk to make sure she did absolutely _none_ of the lifting and moving, despite the eye-rolling looks she kept shooting at him when he moved to take a box from this team member or that one.

The crew themselves were a little dumb-founded. They had taken one look at the little woman and determined that, no matter what any article they read on her said, she couldn't possibly be the force of nature the rest of the world treated her as. But she was brilliant. She had corrected Kara and Sorren. She had devised a master plan for the packing, unpacking, and placement of not only people, but equipment, in the few hours it had taken them on the ship to reach Claw Island—much of the time, they remembered, she had spent alone with the iron dragon slayer. She held herself in a way that spoke volumes on her confidence; she knew the power she held, and knew how to use it. When someone dared to argue with her, she sweetly, yet firmly, shot them down, and left them stinging over the rebuttal.

And then there was the blonde and her pink-haired mate. Natsu had done nothing much other than harass Lucy, and she just grumbled and griped and told him off—but he kept at it. And just when they thought she would explode, he would do something incredibly adorable—pulling her in for a kiss, or tickling her ribs until she couldn't hold in her laughter anymore, or give her an off-hand compliment. They made a strange couple, to be sure. Plus, they kept setting things on fire. They were finally relegated to watch-dog duty, not allowed to carry any more boxes, when they had almost set a wooden chest full of precious manuscripts ablaze.

That was when they learned the true power behind Levy McGarden—herself.

Levy had instantly killed the flames with a solid script: vacuum, then turned the vacuum on Natsu, her eyes burning with fury. The Fairy Tail law, 'Thou shalt not harm a book in the presence of Levy McGarden,' raced through his mind, and he gulped nervously, feeling the fire leave his system, sucked away by the vacuum. Lucy just crossed her arms and smirked, thinking that he deserved it, until Levy dropped a lake on her head, being sure to avoid the equipment and books.

"Stop your bickering, right now, before I lock you two in a cage of ice for the rest of the night." She growled menacingly. "And keep that vacuum running so you can't create your flames. If you damage a single page of one of these books, Mavis help me, you will be encased in ice until we return to Fairy Tail." The couple knew she meant business, and backed away from the precious cargo as quickly as possible, holding their hands up in surrender. Levy nodded once, then returned to her task, ordering two other men to carry the chest.

That was the only truly eventful thing that happened. The rest went rather smoothly, and before the artificial light lacrima in the ceiling alerted them to the sunset, the camp was unpacked and the party settled into their cabins. A fire roared in the fire pit, compliments of Natsu, and the group sat around it, stretching limbs sore from lifting and gazing about with the sharp eyes of scientists.

"Is this everyone from your guild that is coming?" Lucy asked. She sat on the ground, leaning back against Natsu's legs as he played with her hair.

"Oh, right! You all haven't been introduced." Levy and Gajeel were in much the same position—with Gajeel sitting on the ground, and Levy's fingers sliding through his soft locks. "Lucy, Natsu, this is Sorren, master of the Golden Sarcophagus archeologists' guild," The man stood and bowed, and she saw the mirth in Lucy's eyes as his ridiculous mustached touched the ground. "Kara, who is completely brilliant when it comes to languages and translating," The blonde woman waved and smiled. "Marcus and Aurelia, who I believe are the group's experts on ancient magics and magical creatures," she gestured to a couple that was cuddling on the other side of the fire, who nodded at the slayers. "You'll like Danny, here, Natsu. He is an expert on weapons and machinery, especially those involving incendiary or explosive elements." A tall, skinny man with black hair that looked singed at the ends and deep green eyes stuck his hand out. Natsu raised an eyebrow and shook it, a mischievous grin on his face. "Alexandra can tell you just about anything concerning major historical events, and could probably detail a timeline of the founding, settling, and history of the kingdoms without batting an eye. She's incredible." A petite ginger-haired woman blushed and grinned. "And this is Alfred. He knows everything there is to know about the cultural history of the kingdoms—food, fashion, burial rights, religion."

A short man with dusty gray-blonde hair and hazel eyes winked at the blunette. "You forgot the most important: I am also the expert on sex culture—sexual practices and mindsets throughout history. Just call me the Sex Expert." All the woman rolled their eyes. Natsu and Gajeel growled, but their mates shushed them.

"Everyone, this is Lucy Heartfilia and Natsu Dragneel, Fairy Tail's flame dragon slayers." Lucy and Natsu nodded at the rest of the party.

"All four of you were on Tenrou Island, weren't you? When we all thought it was destroyed?" Aurelia asked, sitting forward. The four in question nodded, sharing matching looks of curiosity tinged with that sick feeling you get in your gut when you remember something unpleasant. "Do you mind if I ask you about that time? The magic that must have taken; I have never heard of or seen a spell like that. And, waking up after seven years trapped inside of that seal must have been incredibly confusing. From an anthropological point of view, the story is extremely fascinating." The others leaned forward excitedly.

"I…I am okay with answering your questions." Levy said, her voice a little shaky. Just the mention of Tenrou Island still reminded her of the absolute terror she had felt when they battled with Acnologia. The other slayers nodded their consent as well, though she saw that same fear in their eyes.

"Let's start with the basics, since most of what we all know is based solely on rumor. What were you all doing on Tenrou Island in the first place? The strongest wizards in Fairy Tail—the strongest wizards in the kingdoms, you have proven, were all gathered in the same place. Why?"

Levy raised an eyebrow. "For the S-Class trials." She said, thinking that had been obvious. However, she received several blank looks. "Every year, Master Makarov chooses a few wizards from the guild that he deems worthy of becoming S-class wizards—based on their magical abilities, their ability to work with a team, their accomplishments throughout the year, and the rest of their tenure with the guild, etc. They have to be at least at the S-class standard for magical ability, who have made a positive difference in the guild as well as the community. Then, we head to Fairy Tail's holy land, Tenrou Island, and face a series of challenges, with the hopes that one wizard makes it through the trial to become an S-class wizard. There have been many years when no one makes the cut." Levy shrugged.

"So, are you saying that there are more wizards in Fairy Tail with S-class power, who are not S-class wizards, because Fairy Tail judges them so harshly?" Marcus' voice was filled with awe.

"Basically." Levy said nonchalantly. She had never thought about it that way. But, he wasn't wrong. "That year, the candidates were Natsu, Cana Alberona, Gray Fulbuster, Juvia Locksar, Elfman Strauss, Freed Justine, and myself. Oh, and Duranbolt from the Magic council." She waved her hand, unconcerned. "But he was just there to spy on us for the council. He tricked us into thinking that he was a member of Fairy Tail. Then, each candidate picked a partner. Let's see. Natsu chose Happy. Cana and Lucy teamed up. And Gray went with Loke, then—"

"Wait, Loke? As in king of the Zodiac Spirits, the lion, Loke?" Marcus raised an eyebrow.

"I think you mean Loke, king of the egotistical flirts." Lucy grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. Marcus turned his incredulous gaze to her, and she shook her head. "When I first met him, he was just another wizard of Fairy Tail. Long story short, he is now my contracted spirit, and friend."

"I'd love to meet him." Aurelia mused softly.

"Uh, maybe some other time." Lucy said quickly. She did _not_ feel like putting up with his pointless flirtations tonight.

"Anyyyway." Levy continued, an amused smirk on her face, one that looked eerily similar to Gajeel's. Juvia went with Lisanna Strauss. Elfman chose Evergreen—well, more like Evergreen chose Elfman." She smiled, thinking about the couple's strange relationship. "Then Freed and Bixelow went in together, of course. Mest took along Wendy. And my partner was Gajeel." She placed her arms around his neck and rested her chin on his head, smiling contentedly. "That year, the tests consisted of a series of battles. Some were between the teams. Others were against Fairy Tail's S-class mages. That meant Mirajane, Erza, and Gildarts were on the island with us. So, in all, all but one of Fairy Tail's s-class mages, all of the remaining Thunder God Tribe, all of the dragon slayers, a celestial mage with most of the zodiac spirits—basically, just about all of the most powerful members of the guild were gathered together in one place, which, logically, does not make any sense, I know, but we were supposed to be safe. I mean, who would dare attack us all together?"

"But someone did attack." Alexandra intoned, eyes sharp.

Levy nodded. "The first round of battles knocked out Freed, Mest, and Juvia, and the rest of us were sent to search for the first master's grave. The first person to reach the site would receive the promotion to s-class. Gajeel and I were searching. We started arguing over…I don't even remember. Something stupid. And I ran off. I think…I think we were the first to run into trouble. I'm not sure. I was attacked, by another script mage, and some crazy chicken guy. Gajeel saved me, of course. He always saves me." She said softly, and one of Gajeel's hands came up to caress her arms around his neck. "He—He told me to run. I didn't want to. I wanted to stay with him, by his side, like I should have in the first place. But he was right; we had to warn the others. We were under attack by Grimoire Heart, and they intended to destroy us all. So, I ran. I found Erza and Juvia, and brought them back. We were almost too late. Erza set off the signal to cease the trial. It all went downhill from there."

"Rumor says they were searching for Zeref. Why would he have been there, on your holy land? How could he have been?" Danny asked.

"Rumor's right." Natsu answered. "Asshole nearly ruined my scarf."

Spines straightened around the circle. "You…met Zeref? The black wizard? The demonic prince of darkness?" Kara asked with a squeak.

Natsu shrugged. "I guess. He's a big cry baby, and all he did was kill a bunch of trees. Although, he did almost get Elfman and Ever."

"Almost got you, too, dummy." Lucy muttered, pushing against his knee gently.

"As to why he was there, we still don't know for sure. I know he had some sort of connection to the founding members of Fairy Tail. But I can't find anything other than a mere mention of him in the histories, and Master Makarov is keeping very tight-lipped about it all." Levy finished.

"Then what happened?" Even Sorren was on the edge of his seat.

"We were defeated. The Tenrou tree is the anchor for magic for Fairy Tail wizards. One of their fighters took out our tree. We were forced to gather our last bit of energy—we were too weak even to stand—and pool it towards Erza, who was fighting him. She was able to defeat him, even beaten to a bloody mess as she was, and he restored the tree. We fought back. And we were still losing. Then, they just vanished. All of them, every remaining member of Grimoire Heart. I think because they managed to drag Zeref away to their ship. Or because the council was planning to blast the island with an etherion canon."

"Wait, they what?!" Marcus nearly shouted. "They were going to open fire on an innocent guild, a victim of a brutal attack, with an _etherion canon_?"

Levy shrugged nonchalantly, but her face was grim. "It wouldn't be the first time. The fired the canon at the Tower of Heaven, knowing full well they would be destroying several key members of our guild. They infiltrated Fairy Tail and tracked us to our homeland with the intent of finding damnable evidence against us. Then, Grimoire Heart appeared, and they got word that Zeref was on the island, and I guess they panicked. They would rather have destroyed us than let them live. Thankfully Duranbolt stopped them." Gajeel was the only one who noticed a flicker of guilt cross her face for a fraction of a second. He wanted to question her on it, but her features were schooled back into place the instant he had seen it. "But it was useless. By then, so much powerful magic had been used, so much energy scattered around the island…we had attracted _him_." She whispered the last, hugging her arms tighter around Gajeel's neck. He shifted slight and pulled her down into his lap, hugging her close. He felt the slight tremor in her spine.

"Acnologia." Marcus and Aurelia said together with voices filled with equal parts terror and awe.

"I thought we were prepared for anything. I though we were indestructible. I had always thought that." Levy's voice remained low. "But we didn't even bruise him. We hit him with every ounce of magical power that all of us had combined, and we barely knocked him down. We did nothing more than anger him." She rubbed her arms like she was cold, and Gajeel hugged her closer. He could feel his own memories surfacing, the fear when he realized that despite all those years training with Metallicana, he was helpless against that beast. "And he prepared to attack. We couldn't really do anything, and we knew it. He had cut off our escape from the island, destroyed our ship, and the magic council's. And we couldn't hurt him. So we channeled everything we had into trying to write a script spell, some sort of defense. We knew it would be useless, but we refused to give up on each other."

"You cast the Fairy Sphere?" Aurelia urged as Levy fell silent for a few minutes.

Levy shook her head slowly. "It wasn't us." She didn't offer any explanation for a minute. The others remained quiet. "It was our first master, Mavis Vermillion." The members of Golden Sarcophagus looked skeptical. "Or her spirit. Or something. She's been following the guild around ever since, like we had awoken her or something." She saw their looks. "Oh, I know it sounds crazy. Believe me. I have been trying to figure out how it's done. Master Makarov knows something; I'm sure of it. But he isn't sharing."

"So…her ghost cast Fairy Sphere?"

Levy shook her head, her eyebrows knitting together. "It's…Fairy Sphere is complicated. It isn't quite…it's not a normal spell. It's like the conversion of…familial bonds? Friendship? Mutual respect and love shared amongst allies? I'm not quite sure what exactly—into pure magical energy that creates a bubble. And that bubble is sealed away from any and all harm, or detection, or really anything, for a set amount of time, depending on how much energy the spell can receive from whomever it was protecting. From what I've read, had our group not had the power we did, we could have been in there for decades before the spell had received the full amount of energy owed. It pulled us out of time, and we were trapped, and frozen."

"Were you aware?" Kara asked.

Levy shook her head. "I can't speak for everyone, but I wasn't. I think I got a few flashes. Maybe some dreams. But no, I was not aware of anything." The others shook their heads as well. Then the four fell silent, not moving, lost in their own contemplations.

"I think…can we not talk about this anymore?" Lucy asked in a small, shaky voice. Natsu stroked her hair comfortingly.

"Of course. I'm sorry. I was just so curious." Aurelia said quickly. Her eyes showed pity for the mages before her. They had gone through a crucible. But, the archaeologists now believed they understood them. They had heard much from the news, from the Games, from Sorcerer Weekly, from rumor. But they had never been sure what to believe. And they had always thought the power of Fairy Tail far exaggerated. But they were beginning to see that was not the case. While these wizards acted as though they weren't the most powerful beings walking the earth…Did they truly not know the power they held? Or were they so accustomed to it? But, no, they realized. The wizards of Fairy Tail don't recognize their own power as incredible because they have been through so much that would have destroyed them had they been even slightly weaker. This guild was something else; they were made up of the most tortured souls, with the strongest wills.

What had they gotten themselves into?


	5. Scents

**_Notes_**

 ** _As promised, another new chapter, this one a little sweeter, a lot hotter, and even more of that perfect Gajevy wonder that keeps this pair going. Enjoy, friends!_**

Gajeel and Levy slipped away not long after that. Gajeel surprised his mate, though, when he led her not to their hut, but to the creek, towards the forest. He gathered her in his arms and picked her up, crouching for a moment before leaping into the air, clearing the creek in a single bound and landing with a soft thud. Levy let loose a small shriek, burying her face in Gajeel's shoulder.

"A little warning next time, please," She whined as he set her down, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

"Yes, ma'am." He answered as he took her hand.

"What are we doing, anyway?" She asked. They began to walk deeper into the trees.

"Nothin', really. Just thought you might want a few minutes 'a peace and quiet." He answered.

Levy smiled up at him. He was right, of course. Everything had been magnified—scents, tastes, sounds. It was beginning to give her a headache. She leaned against him gratefully and took a couple of cleansing breaths. It _was_ quiet out here; she could hear the creek, and the light breeze that mysteriously and constantly blew through the cavern. She could hear the animals creeping around them, giving the dragons that had just appeared in their midst a wide berth. But the crackle of the fire had sounded like gunfire, and everyone's voices sounded like they were hooked up to an amp, and footsteps sounded like an off-beat drum. "How do you deal with all of it?" she asked. She crinkled her nose as they passed something that smelled musty and dark and…dangerous—a bit wrong, like carrion.

"Fox den." He said, noticing her grimace. "Ya learn to accept it, after a while. But there is a reason I go off alone with Pantherlily so often. He's quiet. He doesn't smell like sweat and booze."

Levy laughed, then fell silent for a moment. She turned her face into him, her nose pressed against his side, and breathed deep, humming at that smell of sex and smoke. "What do I smell like to you?" She asked him.

Gajeel looked down at her with an amused smile. "Usually sweet, like vanilla, but with somethin' earthy and powerful, like cloves."

"Usually?" she raised an eyebrow.

He grinned and pulled her to a stop, facing her so she an inch away from his body, and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "When I do something like…this," he slid his hand up from her hip to her breast, lightly, sending shivers of need through her body. "Or this," He feathered kisses down her neck as his hand cupped her breast, finger brushing over her nipple. "Or _this_ ," He gripped her breast a little harder, his other hand grabbing her ass and pulling her flush against him, his erection pressing against her stomach and making her gasp. "It changes. Like adding dark chocolate, sweet, sexy, strong, irresistible." He punctuated every word with a light nip on her collarbone.

Levy laughed breathily. "Interesting. I wonder how yours would change." She pulled away from him, eyes dancing with mischief. She backed a few feet away, and reached behind her, unzipping her dress and letting it fall to the dirt. She watched Gajeel's eyes dilate, his nostrils flare. She slid the sleeve off of her arm, and the bandana out of her hair, so that she was wearing nothing but his mark and her piercings. She hummed their song— _that song_ —and began dancing, slowly, sensually. Her eyes fluttered closed as she raised her arms, swaying to the haunting melody. She slowly made her way towards her mate, and danced around him, his head turning to follow her curves. She stood with her back against his chest, and pressed back against him, raising her arms over her head. Gajeel's hands came up to grip her hips, keeping her close as she gyrated her hips, grinding against him. She smiled wider as she heard his voice humming along. She turned, his hands sliding against her soft skin, and slide his shirt up his chest and over his head. Levy kissed a line down his chest and stomach as she undid his pants, and dropped low to the ground, taking his pants with her. She felt his muscles clench, and looked up at him. He toed off his combat boots, and she relieved him of the last of his clothes before standing back up. She jumped up slightly, and he caught her without hesitation, her legs wrapping around his waist, his arms around his neck. She nuzzled his neck, still humming, and breathed his scent in again. She growled with need at the smell of him.

"So, what do I smell like?" he echoed her, his voice tight with tension and longing.

"Like I am never letting you go." She answered in a hoarse whisper, pressing her nose tight against him, right where his neck and shoulder met, where the scent was strongest. His arms hugged her closer in response. "Like you always do, like wood smoke, and sweat, and something I can't name—it's just…like the sexiest smell I can think of," She said honestly. "But, now, _gods_ , Gajeel," She said with an undertone of a whimper. "It's like someone bottled lust and poured it all over you. You smell like…you. Like home." Gajeel groaned. The sound surprised Levy. He had groaned before, moaned, yelled her name, but he sounded so helpless, so broken, like someone was dangling something he could never have right in front of his face, and he was reaching for it, but he could never get close enough. She smiled against his collarbone—just like she felt. "Down," She whispered. Gajeel froze, and tried to pull her away, so he could lower her to the ground, but she clenched her thighs tighter. "Not _me_ ," She growled. "You. On the ground." Gajeel chuckled, but complied, sitting gracefully with her landing in his lap. She shifted onto her knees, raising up a bit to look him in the eyes. She placed his hands on her hips, and reached down to grip his shaft, stroking it twice and loving that little twitch when she touched him. She lined him up to where the heat pooled between her legs, and slowly sank down on him, mouth opening in a sigh of pleasure. Levy held his eyes as her legs flexed and her torso rolled in a slow, steady rhythm. Her breathing grew heavier, and sweat dripped down her body, but she didn't alter her pace. The sounds around them faded away, the other smells, the lights—it all disappeared, until only the two of them remained, in that moment—faded away to only their breathing and heartbeats synchronizing into one pulse, to their scents mingling together in the air around them, to their eyes and the pleasure reflected in them. Neither of them made a sound, not a growl, or a moan, or a whimper, both losing themselves to the feeling of being one with each other—of not being alone. Even as they shattered together, trembling and gripping each other for dear life, they didn't speak, and they didn't look away, and not for several minutes after as they caught their breath.

"Wow," Levy whispered.

"I love you." Gajeel answered, pulling her against his chest and wrapping his arms tighter around her. He had been alone for so long—not a part of the world he walked through, separate. But Levy had seen him; she had _seen_ him walking along, and pulled him along with her into a new life full of people and love. And he had never dared to hope that one day he would be right there, clutching her to him, inside her, in her life.

Levy hugged him back, fingers curling in his hair. "I love you, too, baby," She knew exactly how he was feeling. She had always been outside of Fairy Tail; she had never felt like she belonged. She wasn't as powerful as the others, and with her past…not that they knew…She had known she was loved, but had never felt as though they really loved _her_ , or just the idea of her. They had always seen her one way, as someone she didn't want to be—weak and adorable and innocent. Gajeel had been the first to really see her and accept all of her. She was who she was today entirely because of him. Maybe that thought should have frightened her, but all she felt was warmth, like she had been frozen solid and was just beginning to thaw. "Thank you, Gajeel." She breathed. He stiffened for a moment, then relaxed. Of course he knew what she meant. Of course.

Together, finally, they stood and redressed in comfortable silence, then slowly made their way back to their hut, where they stripped again and curled against each other under a dozen or so warm blankets, feeling more at ease than they had in a very long time.


	6. Plans

The new time lacrima screeched at them from across the room. Gajeel tried to smash it with an iron fist, but growled when his hand bounced off of it harmlessly. "Gajeeeeeel," Levy whined tiredly. "Make it stop."

"Can't, shrimp." He said wearily. "You put that stupid barrier around it."

They both sat up, hair ruffled and sticking up funny, and glared at the tiny sphere teasing them from behind it's protective rune shield. She leaned over the edge of the bed and stretched for her boot, where her light pen glinted in the light. Her mind scrambled to remember which spells she had put on it the night before. Grumbling, she pulled at a strand of runes and carefully changed a few characters. As soon as it was free, she shut the lacrima off. By then, they were definitely awake

"Now can I kill it?" Gajeel sat glaring at the glass orb that had disturbed his rest.

Levy sighed. "No. We'd just have to buy a new one. Come on. We have work to do. And I want to go wash in the creek before we get to it." She stood, rubbing her arms against the sudden chill. She rummaged through one of the still-packed suitcases to pull free two fluffy bath towels and a hard case that carried their toiletries. She stuffed the towels and a change of clothes into her pack and tossed it to Gajeel, slipping into a silver silk robe that fell to her knees and her strappy red sandals. "Grab clothes. Come on, silly dragon."

Gajeel groaned and fell back on the pillows for a second, wishing he could just stay in bed with Levy for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, she was correct; they were needed. And they needed a bath. He stood and pulled his jeans from the day before back on, forgoing putting his boots on and grabbing clean socks and a shirt. "I'm comin', woman." He slung the pack over his shoulder and carried his combat boots as they quietly exited the hut. He led her away from the houses to the creek and followed it up stream, past the rocky overhang that sheltered the huts. She smiled when she saw where he was leading. The creek sprung from a waterfall in the cliff face. A few dozen yards away, another cut in the rock, like there had once been a second waterfall, appeared, and below it was a crystal-clear pool.

"This is gorgeous," Levy said quietly. Gajeel smiled as he slipped out of his jeans again and walked across the smooth pebble beach and into the cool water of the pool. Levy quickly followed, the robe fluttering to the ground. She brought the hard case with her, and wrote a couple of runes on it so that it would be waterproof and buoyant. She walked into the water until the ground was too far to touch and keep her head above water. Taking a deep breath, she dove below the surface, the chill of the pool waking her the rest of the way up. She surfaced right next to her mate, water running from her hair and face. Opening the case, she pulled free her favorite shampoo. Gajeel ducked his hair into the water as well and reached for his own shampoo. As much as he wished he could pull her to him and ravish her right then, he knew that Natsu knew this place was here as well as he did, and would probably be planning for an early bath as well. "Where is the water coming from?" Levy asked, breaking the silence. He raised a questioning eyebrow, and she gestured to the waterfall.

Gajeel shrugged. "Never asked. Never thought 'bout it. Probably some of the same magic that runs the light here." Levy nodded and took a deep breath before submerging again to rinse the lather from her hair.

"First thing we are putting in our new house?" Levy said. Her teeth were starting to chatter, he noticed. "A huge, walk-in shower, and a claw foot bathtub, with _hot_ water."

Gajeel pulled her in for a quick kiss. "Anything for you, love." She smiled as she scrubbed her skin with a sudsy loofah. When she was finished, she placed her items back in the floating case, and somersaulted deeper into the water and swam toward shore. Gajeel watched with a smile as she pulled herself out of the water and walked back to their things, the sunlight glinting off the water droplets on her body, looking a lot like fairy dust. He snorted at that. She really was a little pixie. She pulled one of the towels free and began to pat down her body as he rinsed his hair, closed the case, and followed her out. They fluffed their hair with the towels and dried most of the way off, then laid out on their towels to finish air-drying.

"Boy or girl?" Levy said suddenly. Gajeel looked at her curiously.

"The baby. Our baby. Do you hope it's a boy or a girl?" she embellished.

Gajeel stared up at the ceiling, "Not sure. I never really thought I'd be a father. I could never imagine myself with a daughter, or a son." He turned to her with a mischievous grin. "Besides, like you said, probably not gonna be our last. We could have a few of each."

Levy laughed and absently rubbed her stomach. "I think…I hope it's a girl. I mean, I will be happy either way, even if we have eight children, and they're all sons. But I've always seen myself curled up teaching my daughter to love reading. And I like the image I have of the three of us—you, me, and Lily—teaching her how to fight and take care of herself, and teaching her what it means to be a member of Fairy Tail." She turned to him.

"Then it's settled." Gajeel answered with a perfectly straight face. "I hope it's a boy." Her face twisted in confusion. "I hope our next several children are boys. And we'll just keep trying until we have a daughter." Levy's laughter echoed off the rocks, and she leaned over to kiss him. They broke away a few minutes later and sighed happily.

Levy swung herself up reluctantly. "Okay, it's time to get to work." She sighed. "Come on." She dug out their clothes, dropping his onto his chest. She froze, and turned to him, a blush on her cheeks. "Could you…could you turn around? Please?"

His mouth dropped open. "It's not like I haven't seen it before." He said incredulously, gesturing to her currently nude state.

"It's not that…just…please? I'll explain later." Gajeel grumbled and stood, turning his back and crossing his arms. "No peaking!" She ordered. She slipped into the outfit she'd grabbed. "You can turn back around now," She said as she smoothed the skirt of her black and red and silver halter dress over her thighs.

Gajeel reached down to grab his clothes, pecking her on the lips as he raised up again. "Have I told ya how much I like that dress on you, love?" he said, eyeing her up and down. Levy just smiled wider.

They were interrupted by a shriek that echoed around them, and they whirled to see a very red Lucy spinning to hide her face in Natsu's chest. Levy and Natsu let loose matching growls as they realize that Lucy had gotten an eyeful of the very naked Gajeel. "Shit," Gajeel said, hastily sliding his jeans over his hips and pulling his shirt down over his chest.

"I'm sorry!" Lucy called, not moving from her position. "We didn't know you were here. We'll just…we'll just come back later."

"We're leaving." Gajeel grunted. "All yours." As quickly as they could, he and Levy gathered their things and rushed away from the water. Levy kept her head down as they passed, but shot Lucy a warning glare out of the corner of her eye. Natsu did the same with Gajeel, the two sharing a dark look.

"I'm sure we'll laugh about that later," Levy said as they walked quickly back to the camp.

"Maybe." Gajeel said. "Not any time soon, I think." Levy couldn't help but agree. She knew it was irrational, but she had gotten strangely angry when she realized Lucy had seen what should have only been _hers_ to see. She knew Natsu had only really been angry that Gajeel had upset his mate. It would pass. It was still an embarrassing situation.

"Everything OK?" Sorren popped his head out of his hut. "I thought I heard a scream."

Levy blushed. "It's nothing. Lucy just slipped." She answered smoothly. "Sorry to bother you."

He waved his hand. "I was already up. I've been trying to plan out our work for today. Would you like to see what we've come up with?" Levy nodded, and they entered his hut. The room was scattered with papers, and a glass board stood against one wall covered in scribbles and notes. Four mugs held down the corners of a large map on the table, which Levy peered at curiously. "Guardian was able to give me this." He pointed to a larger section on one side of the map. "This is the cavern and the dragon's living quarters. This is the hall where you said you gathered the Dragon Slayer Scrolls." His finger followed a relatively short path.

Levy's eyes wandered over the rest of the map, remembering how large the cavern really was, the massive rooms for the dragons, the couple of miles they'd walked for the scrolls. She let loose a low whistle of appreciation for the task ahead. "We really have our work cut out for us."

The man nodded. "These tunnels run below the sea, even, for hundreds of miles." He pointed to a few larger, rounded bubbles of space every so often along the paths. "These are smaller clearings, with campsites. Guardian says they have food and water, but no huts, no living space. We would have to bring our own equipment. They are spaced out every 15 miles." Levy counted 19 separated stopping points, before the tunnels merged once again with the cavern, towards the far rear corner.

She cocked her head curiously and pointed to where they came together. "Gajeel? Is that where we just were?" He nodded, looking over her shoulder. "Could there be an entrance behind the waterfall?"

He shrugged. "It's possible. There wasn't one at my old man's place. 'Course I don't remember his bein' this massive."

Sorren's eyes darted to the iron dragon slayer. "Your old man's place? The tomb where you grew up? With Metallicana? You know where it is?"

Gajeel grimaced. "Yeah, but I'm not ready ta be showin' it off right now. Especially not 'til I've had a chance ta clean up."

"Does it not have a Guardian? Could we see it one day, maybe have a chance to explore it a bit?" Sorren asked excitedly.

"Like he said, not yet. Besides. You have your hands full with this tomb." Levy broke in. Gajeel gave her a look, and she turned her head, putting her lips at his ear. He was leaned forward with his hands on the table. "For now, we have a place no one knows about, a place to hide out. Or a great place for a honeymoon, where no one can hear us." His hands clenched hard enough to leave dents in the wooden table, and she giggled.

"Careful, shrimp," He growled back, keeping his voice low, but not whispering. "I'll drag you back to our place. I don't care if they can hear us or not." Her laughter cut off, and she looked at him with wide brown eyes.

Sorren cleared his throat. "So, I was thinking we explore this stretch here." He pointed to a five mile stretch of tunnel just beyond where the scrolls had been. Then, once we've discovered everything we can, we move on to the next section. We go for five days, then return to camp for a couple days to regather and relax. And so on, and so forth."

Levy nodded. "It's a good plan. However, if I were you, I would start from the beginning, here." She pointed to the start of the tunnels, where they met the cavern. "There are drawings and writings covering every wall, as far as I could see. Very little of it was in Draconic. It appears to be histories and lessons left over from past slayers. Wendy could probably tell us more."

Sorren cocked his head. "Wendy Marvel? Fairy Tail's sky dragon slayer?"

Gajeel grunted. "This's where she grew up. She's got Guardian wrapped around her little finger."

"Do you think she would be willing to come and help out with our research?" Sorren continued, wondering why he was just then hearing the information.

Gajeel and Levy shared a wary look. They were extremely protective of the young mage. "Not…just yet." Levy answered, trying to sound diplomatic. "We will run the idea by her once we've had a chance to assess…" She wasn't sure how to put her thoughts into words politely.

Sorren seemed to understand, though. "You want to wait until you know that we are trustworthy." Levy nodded sheepishly. "I completely understand. Anything we wish to ask, we will simply record until we can meet with her." Gajeel let out a breath of relief. "So, for now, we will start at the beginning stretch and work our way forward." He returned to the map. "If the walls are as you say they are throughout the full system of tunnels, then we will probably have to take it a mile at a time. So, we will need to take about a week per section, meaning it will take us just over a year to complete our search."

"Not necessarily." Levy stated. She tapped her finger at the other entrance to the cavern. "Once we've reached the point that Guardian is comfortable allowing your team to research without our escort, we could split up, follow the same routine with a second team here. That would cut down your time quite a bit."

Sorren's eyes lit up, but before he could speak, Guardian's voice sounded from over Gajeel's shoulder, and all three jumped and spun. "Miss Levy is correct. The walls are completely covered in the histories of the slayers, except for the last few miles. Wendy was the last to record anything. But you should not require camping gear, unless you wish to camp in the tunnels themselves." He reached around calmly and pointed to one of the round clearings. "I misunderstood what you were asking previously, sir. These clearings do have food and water, and have the same sort of magic in it for sun and warmth. However, there is a structure at the center of each one with a magic circle within it. This circle acts as a teleport between the other clearings and this main area. There is a similar structure just here," He pointed to the other entrance by the waterfall. "In a cave beneath the waterfall."

Then Guardian turned to Gajeel with a wry smile. "Also, pardon my eavesdropping, but Metallicana used to reside in the tomb of Resildan, did he not?" Gajeel nodded. "That tomb does have a Guardian; however, she is as…uncooperative as Metallicana himself. She likes to pretend she does not exist, and she never did like the dragon slayers."

Gajeel's brow lifted. "Never once saw her all the years I was there."

Guardian shrugged. "She didn't like your father much either; although, her gift was with memory."

"Her gift? Are you saying the Guardians are mages?" Levy asked.

Guardian gave her a smile. "Not exactly. We do each have a gift, which depends on the dragon or dragons whose tomb we reside in. For instance, this is the tomb of Aliskree and his mate, the Golden dragon and the dragon of Plenty, so I have an affinity with gold, and will always have everything I will ever need. Resildan was the dragon of Memory, so Resildan's gift must have something to do with memory. Whether it is stealing them, changing them, creating them, restoring them, or some combination thereof, I am not certain."

"What ties you to the dragons, then?" She replied quickly.

Guardian cocked his head. "Magic, dear one." Was his only answer.

Levy looked as though she wanted to ask more, but kept her mouth closed. For now. There were too many questions for the short time they had at the moment. She turned back to Sorren. "Okay, we have a plan. Gajeel and I will accompany you today. I will see if Natsu and Lucy would mind going top-side to make bricks and get lumber today, so that tomorrow we can begin our construction projects."

"Construction projects?" Sorren raised an eyebrow.

Levy nodded. "Two new houses, and a library. Plus two firepits, and perhaps a small barn with pens for livestock. And a bathhouse, I'm thinking." Sorren nodded. "Then, when you return for the weekend, we can all take the ship back to Alabaster for supplies. Hopefully, by then the barn and pens will be finished, and we can bring back some chickens and goats."

"Bathhouse first." Gajeel said, and Levy frowned, narrowing her eyes.

"Yes, bathhouse first." She was still irrationally angry at Lucy for catching her dragon in the nude. "We don't want a repeat of this morning." She shook her head when Sorren opened his mouth to aske her what had happened. "Then it is settled." The three men in the room all nodded. "Good. Let's get the party started.


	7. Out of the Blue

_**Note**_

 _ **So, it has definitely been a while since my last update. Apologies, friend. Been a hectic little while. Anyway, this is a bit of a longer chapter-not by much, but enough to wet your taste buds. This one is also opening up for the Gruvia spin-off (titled Out of the Blue) based off this story line. It's a fun one. I hope you'll enjoy this one as much as you've enjoyed Iron Lace and Iron Script. I also have the first couple of chapters of the Nalu spin-off written up. Still a little torn on the title, though. If you have any suggestions for a title for it, hit me up with a message or a review. Speaking of reviews, I want to thank everyone who**_ **has _reviewed. Getting that notification truly makes my day; I hope you know that. Anyway, back to Iron Script. Not a whole lot of Gajeel and Levy in the next couple of chapters, but don't worry, this story is still about them, and they will be back at full coverage once the other stories are introduced. So, now, friends, I give you the next chapter of Iron Script! Enjoy!_**

Juvia opened her eyes to see the sun peeking through the curtains. She smiled, snuggling closer to the warmth beside her, running a hand over the smooth, cool skin of his bare chest.

"Morning," came her lover's sleep-laced voice. His arm pulled her tighter against him. She felt a shiver pass through him as he woke up, the chill that followed him like a cape drawing to him.

"Morning," She whispered back. "How is my love today?" He hummed blissfully in response. Juvia grinned. She could never remember being this happy.

 _Dust choked the air. Dust and grass and chunks of stone and shattered lacrima. And…was that ice? Juvia couldn't see anything past the chaos. Couldn't hear anything but a ringing in her ears. Come to think of it, Juvia couldn't remember anything either. Her name was Juvia. She…she had magic. She worked with water. Yes, she_ was _water. And this was her home. Once. But it was gone now. And there was a pain in her chest. It burned like dry ice, cutting into her. She couldn't help the sob that escaped her. She could remember being happy, so happy that her heart would burst. But she could also remember the agony when that happiness disappeared. Why was she so happy? And why was she not happy now?_

Juvia's eyes snapped open, and she frowned, wincing at the pounding in her head. She reached up and massaged her temple. "You okay?" Gray said, worry tinging his voice.

"Yeah…yeah." She assured. "I'm fine." Her voice didn't carry the same morning-after glow that it had before. "Just a bad dream, I guess." She knew better. And she knew that _he_ knew she was hiding something. But he didn't pry. He had his own demons; he recognized the look. "Come on. I want to get there before lunch." She changed the subject, raising up in bed and making to stand up.

Gray stopped her with a hand at her waist. He pulled her back down and pressed his lips to hers in a sweet kiss, which she met happily. After a moment, he relinquished his grip and got out of bed, the blankets falling away from him. Juvia blushed. They'd been together intimately for a few weeks now, and, to be honest, it hadn't been the first time she'd seen him naked, but it still got to her at moments like this. When he was so vulnerable, just waking up. Not wearing that bravado that he usually did at the guild hall. Her eyes followed the curves of his muscles as he stretched and flexed. Licking her lips. She had the odd desire to curl around him and purr like a cat. Gods, and he was all hers.

Gray grinned to himself as he saw Juvia's reaction to his morning stretching. And almost froze mid trunk-twist as he saw her out of the corner of his eye, bare up from where the blankets pooled around her waist, revealing her soft, pale skin and those big, beautiful breasts he enjoyed so much. Her hair was still mussed from where he'd had his hands tangled in it the night before, and her lips were still swollen from their kisses. She was biting her lip and raking her eyes over him with a look of pure hunger. He almost groaned, but if she wanted to be at the island before lunch, they didn't have time for much of anything. So, instead, he made his way to the bathroom to prepare for the day and shut the door, leaning against it and sinking to the ground.

He could hardly believe that he had pushed her away all these years, if this was the result of letting her in. He'd felt the pull—inexplicable, powerful, immediate—and had promptly run away. Everyone he had ever cared for had disappeared or died; he couldn't drag this beautiful, innocent woman into that. But then she'd declared her love, and followed him around like a puppy. Honestly, if he hadn't been so scared of that intense attraction he felt, he would have been doing the exact same thing. Instead, he gave her the cold shoulder and ignored her advances. Ignored the warnings of his guild mates. But, he still couldn't bring himself to tell her no directly. Every time he saw a look of pain on her face, pain that he'd caused, it broke him a little, wearing him away over three years, until she'd quietly asked him to go on a mission with her—and he'd accepted. He couldn't bear to hurt her any more by rejecting the invitation. The guild had gone silent. Juvia had gone silent. He could see the hope filling her, and every shipper in the room. He could even see Mira reaching under the bar for her little black book. But he didn't care. He only cared about the sweet girl he had been crushing all this time. So, he accepted. He hoped that he could keep his emotions under control, and they could return to the guild no worse for the wear.

It worked in theory. It didn't quite play out that way, though.

He could still see it, that moment when everything changed.

 _Gray still had that battle adrenaline rushing through him, making him feel hot and cold at the same time, turning around and seeing Juvia standing there firm and proud—and completely naked, her clothes torn away by the enemy—her chest heaving as she caught her breath, her eyes flashing with victory. And he just had to kiss her. Had to feel her under him._

 _He surged forward, and she looked at him in surprise, a blush across her cheeks as she saw his own nudity. And then he crashed into her like an avalanche, and he was suddenly kissing her. Juvia felt his body giving off waves of cold that rippled across her, meeting with the heat growing in her core. His arms were wrapped around her possessively, crushing her to him. Was this really happening? She placed her hands on either side of his face and deepened the kiss with a whimper._

 _Gray swallowed the sound and growled. He didn't know where it came from, that growl. It was animalistic and instinctive, and so not him. But he didn't care about that at the moment. All he could see or feel or think about was the woman in front of him. She was all that mattered. That first taste was all it took to addict him to her. He couldn't get enough. Couldn't get close enough. His hands roamed, up and down her back, over her shoulders, down to her waist, her hips, her toned ass. Gods, every inch of her was perfect. It was like the gods had created her just for him._

Gray snapped himself back to the present, standing up and looking down to see his erection throbbing at the memories. He tried to focus on something else, tried to take his mind off it, but his thoughts were filled with images of Juvia, and nothing else. He groaned again and reached down, wrapping a hand around himself and giving in to her. He remembered his favorite image of her.

 _They were both coming down from their orgasm, both panting, sweat slicking their bodies, eyes alight with the high. Juvia was straddling his waist, her hands on his chest holding her body up. Her breasts were inches from his face, covered in little bruises from where he'd bitten and sucked and made her come apart for him. The look on her face of satisfaction, and unmistakable love, and not a hint of that pain he regretted causing her, filled him with such a pure happiness._

Gray bit down on his hand to stop himself from moaning any louder as his hips shook. He opened his eyes, not remembering closing them, and sighed, grabbing toilet paper to wipe away the mess he'd made, and washed his hands.

"You okay in there?" Juvia's voice reached him through the door.

"Yes. I'll be out in a sec." he called back to her. He sighed again. He just had to make it to the night. Tonight, she would be all his again. But for now, they were needed elsewhere.

He dried his hands and opened the door. She was already dressed, holding out a pile of his clothes, neatly folded. "Come on." She said with a smile. "They're waiting."

 _Back on the Island_

Gajeel woke up slowly—and late—and grumpy. Levy wasn't in bed; it was cold without her. He grumbled to himself and pulled back the mound of blankets, rolling his eyes at the two polished marbles laying where his fiancée had when they went to bed the night before. Their hut was littered with random objects—old coins, marbles, river stones, bent spoons, a few stray sequins from some of her clothing, or one of the other girls'. There was also a pile of scrap iron in one corner, growing daily. Anything the tiny blunette could get her hands on. She was hoarding. He pulled on the nearest pair of jeans, and cursed when he realized the button had been pried off.

Yeah, his morning wasn't starting off so great.

When he'd finally managed to find a pair of pants not ruined, he exited the hut, eyes searching their camp—surprisingly busy for so early in the day—for Levy. "Library." Aurelia said off-handedly as she scurried past, arms piled precariously with several old scrolls and spiral-bound notebooks—their notes from the previous week's work, ready to be cataloged and transcribed from the shorthand and various languages the researches wrote most easily and quickly in back to the common tongue, then organized into a cohesive ledger.

"'Course she is." Gajeel muttered, turning on his heel and headed towards the river, crossing the bridge to the large, yet simple, brick structure. He could see script-lanterns glowing through the windows. Walking through the door, he was—as he often was in that place—struck with an understanding of why Levy loved libraries so much. It was quiet, peaceful, but there was a thrumming in the air, like the words on those pages were readying themselves to burst free and fill the world with insight. He took a deep breath, the smell of old books and parchment filling his lungs and cleansing most of the grumpy out of his mind.

"Back here." Came his mate's voice. He followed the sound and her scent through the bookcases miraculously full of books—three of these bookcases were full of just notes from the last three months' expeditions into the tombs. He found her sat back on her heels, backed into a corner in the translations section, three stacks of books with meticulously marked and color-coded notes next to each. "Sorry I didn't wake you. You looked so peaceful." She didn't look up from her work as he moved to lean against a bookcase, crossing his arms. Levy's hair was tied into a high ponytail, black and silver bandana holding the stray curls out of her face. She held her Gale Force reading glasses between her teeth as she shuffled through some of her notes, looking for something in particular.

He grunted in replay, watching her work. She was wearing a simple navy-blue dress with cut-out long sleeves. It fell to her knees—or would have, if the now-visible bump over her stomach didn't pull the fabric up slightly. The changes had been slow-coming, but sure enough, four months into her pregnancy, she was showing. Her skin was almost glowing. Her breasts and butt had grown slightly, to his ever-increasing joy. She was a bit self-conscious, but he made sure she knew exactly how beautiful he knew she was.

"I just…I couldn't sleep any more. And laying down was making my morning sickness worse. Plus, I think I've just about figured out that language Kara and Sorren were working on in the ship's hold. Of course, if I'm right, then we've just opened the floodgates for historical geographers, and historians in general, because this would mean that Abris Isle was either Ancient Boscans branching out to new territory and founding a nation, or Ancient Boscans conquering the people already there, which, based on the text I originally translated four months ago, the latter seems more likely. Until now, it was believed that the Ancient Boscans were a purely defensive nation, that no efforts to colonize had been made. But, if I am right, and you know I am rarely wrong, this changes everything. What if this wasn't the only island they conquered, or settled at all, for that matter? What if they were really a brutally offensive nation and we simply haven't found the evidence of their imperialism previously? What if—"

"Breathe." Gajeel said, a chuckle in his voice. Levy glanced up at him, mouth still slightly open, and smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, I know I get a bit over-eager sometimes. It's just…this is important information. History-changing, perception-changing, life-altering information. It's…I feel so…helpless right now, and this is something I can do." She bowed her head, setting her notes down, placing the glasses on top of them.

Gajeel stepped over to her, careful not to disrupt her careful system of papers and books, and sat behind her, pulling her back against him and leaning into the wall. "Helpless? Since when has Levy McGarden been helpless."

If he noticed her tiny flinch, he ignored it. "Maybe helpless isn't the right word. Vulnerable, maybe?" He raised an eyebrow as she leaned back and looked up at him. She rubbed her stomach. "I've only really ever been responsible for me, you know. Just me and my life, and my future. I could stay trapped in a book or a project for days on end without rest or food. But now…I just can't. I must eat and sleep and move around. I have to switch between tasks. I have to break my focus, so that I can take care of our little dragon." She glanced down as she rubbed her stomach, smiling slightly. "And that's great, and I love him or her already, more than me, and I think that's part of what scares me. I've never cared so much for something or someone that I've never met, that I've never seen or talked to or known. I've never…" she floundered, trying to find the right words.

"I know what you mean, love." He said, resting his hand on one side of her stomach, feeling their child's heartbeat against his palm. "Before you, I'd only ever cared about Metallicana, and Juvia. But I never felt about either 'a them the way I care 'bout the two of you. That got ta me at first, too. But it was worth it."

Levy smiled and kissed his cheek. "You're worth it, too, you know." She said softly. "Anyway, I guess I'm just feeling a little useless, too. I can't be on my feet all day in the tunnels. I can't lift any of the equipment. And the last couple of weeks, this morning sickness has kept me a little weaker. I kind of feel a little in-the-way."

"Oi, you are _not_ in the way, love." He said sternly, the gentleness of his voice taking away some of the bite. "You are probably the most important person on this team. And when you get a little farther on, and don't feel like you can be in the tunnels working at all, you can stay here with me, and you can be going through all those notes. The further they go, the more is crammed on each square inch 'a those walls. And you're probably the only one that could translate all the languages they're written in, and the only one who could read everyone's shorthand." She nodded, smiling. She really was; he wasn't wrong. "I mean look at these notes." He gestured to the floor with his free hand. "Neatly stacked, coded, alphabetized. You like the library anyway, and it's safe. We've got those desks with the huge chairs you picked out in the back room. Lots 'a room ta spread out."

"Okay, okay." She held up her hands in surrender. "You've convinced me." They laughed quietly for a minute before falling into a short, comfortable silence. "Come on." She said after a minute, smacking his thigh lightly. "Juvia and Gray will be arriving soon. We should make sure their hut's ready." He nodded, and stood, carefully putting away the books according to her directions as she reordered all her notes and tucked them into a binder, sliding it onto a bottom shelf nearby for safe keeping. And the pair exited the library peacefully, huge smiles on their faces.

 _Back in Alabaster Village_

Gray and Juvia walked hand-in-hand towards the docks.

"Are they _more_ Fairy Tail wizards?" Someone said in a hushed tone from a group of people seated around a picnic table at a café.

"Gah, what's with those fairies lately? Like someone spiked all their booze with a love potion." Another woman piped up.

Gray smirked, pulling Juvia closer and wrapping an arm around her waist. Playfully, he leaned down and nipped her neck, right below her ear. She giggled as his breath tickled her neck, and turned into him, wrapping both arms around him.

"Not too shy about PDA, either." A man said as they passed the picnic table. Juvia cupped Gray's cheek and brought his lips down to hers, almost causing him to stumble.

"Get a room!" Someone called with a laugh as he passed.

Juvia blushed and stopped kissing, but didn't pull away at all. Seriously, she was finally _in his arms_ ; like she would willfully abandon that for something as petty as others' opinions.

Somehow, they managed to make it to the docks without embarrassing themselves by walking into a trashcan or falling on their faces (Juvia credited their battle-hardened reflexes). The little boat they had rented bobbed in the water. They both tossed their packs and hopped down, adjusting to the steady rocking like second nature. Gray sat at the rear of the boat, prepping the motor. He froze in place.

Juvia was in front of him. She'd shed her dress, leaving her in a shimmering silver-blue bikini. She had one leg up on the seat, rubbing lotion into her skin. He could see the smirk on her face as she watched from the corner of her eye; she knew exactly the effect she had on him. Was this pay back for his flexing earlier?

He bit back a growl of frustration—seriously, what was with all the growling and snarling lately? He was starting to sound like Natsu and Gajeel—and started the motor. The boat jumped forward. He could see her muscles flexing to keep her balance.

 _His hands ran over her arms, her waist, her thighs, then back up, over her stomach, stopping just below her breasts. He could feel the muscles coiling and uncoiling as she gyrated over him, putting her whole body into the motion. He could feel her spasms at the chill pouring from his touch, leaving little ice crystals on her skin like white ink stains. He couldn't control the cold, but she wasn't flinching away from him, or trying to heat him up. In fact, she seemed to love it, the ice glistening in the low light from the fireplace, her blue eyes like a pool in a cold snap, hard and a bit glazed, but he could see everything she usually kept hidden swirling beneath the surface. She was perfect, a goddess, full of pure power and grace and_ _ **gods**_ _did that feel amazing. He gripped her thighs on either side of his hips, could feel them tense as she drew closer to—._

He slammed the door in his mind shut on those memories and gunned the engine, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Juvia sat on the bottom of the boat, leaning against her pack with her long legs stretched out in front of her, facing Gray. She was still smirking at his predicament. It was nice to see him going crazy over her for a change. It was one of her new favorite entertainments.

Gray needed to take his mind off her amazing body. So, he started with that insufferable small talk—how was your day? Did you see the ridiculous thing Elfman was making for his son? It dissolved into the two discussing every strange, hectic situation the guild and its members had gotten into over the past couple of years. His impression of Loke was spot-on. Juvia laughed so hard she snorted, clutching her stomach. Her whole body got into that motion as well…Gray groaned again, Juvia looking at him in wonder at the sound, at his reaction to something as simple as her laugh.

It was easy to see the reaction; it was always so easy with men. Women you had to ask questions, or wait for them to slip up, or have a dragon's sense of smell or hearing to pick up on the body's cues. But with men? You only needed eyes.

"Stop the boat." She said in a husky voice, maneuvering onto her hands and knees and crawling along the bottom of the boat towards him. She saw his Adam's apple bobbing as he gulped, saw the bulge in his pants—which were surprisingly still on, she noted off-hand—twitch.

"Juvia," He warned, but the motor quieted and the boat stopped its forward motion, rocking in the waves. She crawled a couple more feet forward and found herself kneeling between his legs, looking up into his wide eyes, their color shifting from their usual onyx to an infinite blue in his lust, the color of the deep sea and a shadowed sky. "I thought you wanted to make it there before lunch." He said. He sounded like it was the last thing he wanted to say.

"I guess I'll just have to have my lunch early." Juvia whispered as she reached up, tugging at the waistband of his board shorts. She grinned as his breath caught at her boldness. Any objection he might have had, even playing devil's advocate, drifted out to sea, and his world narrowed. They could have been on that boat, or in the middle of the guildhall, or back in that cabin; it wouldn't have mattered, because absolutely nothing could have stopped him, except that woman in front of him. Gods, that woman with her face so close, her breath caressing him. That woman pulling away his board shorts to find absolutely nothing underneath. That woman smiling up at him like she'd just unwrapped a Christmas present—and gotten exactly what she'd wanted.

"Hmm, a hefty meal." She joked, gripping him with one hand and stroking experimentally. Juvia couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth. She was usually so quiet. But this was Gray; she could open up in front of him. She leaned forward and touched her tongue to his shaft, just above where her hand wrapped around the base of him, and ran it up to the tip. She made a small sound of surprise. This was the first time she'd done this for him, and the first time in a few years she'd done it for any man. He was different. Not just because his skin was as cold as ice, or because he was bigger than any other guy she'd been with—in more ways than one. But, he tasted different. He smelled different, too, she realized—all the time, not just right now. She could smell him on his shirt, on his pillow, cocooned in his quilt. Like mint and rosemary and…frost. Like that smell when you wake up on a winter morning and the grass is shimmering with swirling patterns of frost and the air is just crisp and perfect. The smell was gentle and peaceful and sweet, but also manly and rugged—all at the same time. It fit him. He tasted like he smelled. And it was wonderful. She eagerly swirled her tongue around the tip of him before wrapping her lips around him and engulfing the head in her hot mouth.

Gray shivered as he saw desire pooling in her own eyes, like she was getting just as much pleasure out of this as he was. He hissed and almost tipped the damn boat over when he felt the shock of heat as she took him inside her. She was holding his eyes, keeping him pinned in place as she began a teasing dance, her tongue flicking against a sensitive spot on the underside of his cock. She sucked on him, softly at first, just enough for his muscles to clench in response, then harder, and harder, bobbing her head, taking more of him a little at a time, until he was clenching the boat seat so hard he left dents in the metal, and his ice was freezing the sea around them, spreading out and down, until they were floating on a frozen mini glacier. But he didn't notice. He couldn't look away from her sea-sky blue eyes. Her mouth hadn't cooled, despite the power radiating off him; it remained just as hot, driving him absolutely wild. She was squirming, rubbing her legs together like she could barely control herself, too. His mouth dropped open and his cock twitched at the back of her throat as he saw her reach down between her legs, slipping the bikini bottoms aside so that she could rub at her own heat. His hips thrust forward as he got nearer to the edge of his orgasm, seeing the colors swirl at the edges of his vision. She kept her head steady, letting him thrust in and out of her mouth at his pleasure, taking everything he was giving her. Both of her hands were between her legs now, two fingers sliding in and out of her core as her other hand rubbed furiously at her clit, moaning on him as she found herself at the edge of her own abys. It was the moans that finally set him off. With a cry, he gripped the back of her head and pushed her down on him, sliding all the way into her mouth and down her throat and holding her there as he came, feeling her shudder and shake through her own orgasm, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment.

 _Shit_ , Gray thought as his mind stopped spinning out of control, realizing he was still holding her down, letting her go and cupping her cheeks in his hands. "Juvia? Are you okay?" He couldn't believe he'd been that careless. It'd just been _ages_ since any woman had ever gone down on him—they said the cold hurt their teeth—and he'd thought sex with Juvia had been amazing. This was something else; this was something cosmic. He felt a shot of relief as she smiled up at him, eyes a little glazed, but that probably had more to do with coming down from her high than him hurting her.

"Okay? Are you kidding. Gray, my darling, that was _beautiful_." She said with a groan, voice a little huskier from his treatment, lips a little swollen. She reached up and wiped off a string of saliva that hung from her chin to the top of her breasts, and a drop of cum from the corner of her mouth. "Can we do that again?"

Gray laughed. And laughed. And laughed. Juvia pouted for a moment, then smiled, then laughed along with him. She couldn't keep a straight face when he was like this.

He couldn't help it. She was just so adorable, like a kid in a candy store—there was probably some joke about lollipops in there somewhere. Or like he was a fun ride at an amusement park. His options were either laugh, or let himself dwell on the idea of her riding him like a carousel horse and give her her wish of a round two. "Come on, let's get to the freakin' island." He said through his mirth, starting the engine back up as she slipped his shorts back over his hips and leaned against his legs.

They'd been worried they would have trouble finding the tomb site once actually on the island. But that was a non-issue. "Wow, have they really only been gone four months?" Juvia asked as she stood in the boat. She motioned for Gray to shut off the engine and jumped into the water, reaching for the rope and pulling it the rest of the way to the shore. They paused on the sands, packs slung over their shoulders, looking in awe at the brick-paved walkway into the forest. The trees were cleared around the path, the branches curling overhead to make a beautiful archway. There was even a sign by the start of the path that read, "This land is property of the dragons and dragon slayers. Trespassing would be stupid. If you are welcomed guests, step forward; otherwise, seriously, you want to take on the dragon slayers?"

Gray laughed and pulled Juvia along with him. He saw as they walked that the path was even lined with flowers and various herbs that he knew were used in healing potions—dozens of species—with rune circles surrounding the base of each one, he assumed to encourage growth and prevent pests or weather from damaging them. They passed a clearing on their left that was dug out—a quarry for clay. And another, on their right, with a large…was that a kiln?" His brow lifted. He was impressed. They'd put a lot of work into this. They passed one more clearing, this one with a small shed that appeared to be made completely out of iron, and stacks and stacks of timber under a script magic awning. And, finally, they saw the tomb as they rounded a corner. They both stopped in their tracks.

The slayers had said the place was massive, but this was…this was definitely dragon-sized.

Juvia's brow furrowed in confusion. This place was…familiar. Achingly familiar. And, yet, also foreign. There was something at the back of her mind, like a memory, on the tip of her tongue, but if she reached for it, it vanished.

"To walk these halls, roar to the sky." Juvia jerked. Something about those words shook her. "To train within these halls, show me your eyes." She looked up at Gray with a deer-in-the-headlights look, her body trembling, pieces of her shifting, turning to water.

There was something…this was wrong. She shouldn't be here. She shouldn't be anywhere near here. She should be _there_ , at that place. That lonely, broken place. "Gray." She said, voice shaking. "Gray, what are you…?" She couldn't finish her sentence.

"I was just reading…" He stopped as he looked down at her. "Shit! What's wrong? Juvia?!" He grabbed her as she collapsed. She didn't just feint. She turned to water completely, and fell apart, shattering. His cold grip was the only thing keeping her together, as he froze her. "Shit, shit, shit!" He yelled. He picked her up, her body frozen solid, yet still soft and supple like her flesh…so strange…so not the point. He shook his head and hurried forward. He stopped before the stone dragon almost instinctively. "Look, can you just tell—"

The doors swung open, the dragon not uttering a word. Gray didn't have time to try and decode what the hell that meant; he needed to get Juvia inside to safety. He ran with her—dead sprint down the long hall, halfway there before the doors swung shut again and the lights flickered on. He was leaving a trail of ice behind him, crackling as it raced across the floors and up the walls and layered the ceiling in stalactites. He saw sunlight to one side and raced for it. He didn't pause to take in the massive cavern, or the grass, or the lacrima. He saw the huts and made for them. "Oi! Flamebrain! Metalhead! Someone!" He yelled. A few of the people milling about raised their heads curiously.

"Juvia?!" Came Levy's voice across the cavern. And suddenly she was at his side, springing out of a shadow near his feet. He skidded to a halt. "Lay her down, here." She ordered. Gajeel was there in seconds. "Guardian!" She called over her shoulder. A figure broke out in a run towards them.

"What the hell did you do, stripper?" Gajeel growled, ice clenching his heart as he saw his best friend in the state she was in. Then, he realized that it was actually ice wrapping around him, curling around his feet. "Oi, Gray." He said seriously. "Get a hold of yourself." He placed a hand on the man's shoulder and jerked the hand back with a curse, shaking the reddened skin as though he'd been burnt.

"Get a hold of myself?!" Gray growled, eyes snapping to Gajeel for only a second before returning to Juvia. "Look at her! One second she was fine, then I read the stupid words on the stupid fucking door and she just collapsed! This was the only thing I could do to keep her from becoming a puddle on the ground."

Silence met him.

Guardian was there, watching the two of them with a slightly-horrified, wholly-confused look. He didn't bend down to help Juvia. Just stood there. "What?" Gray growled at him. "Can't you help her?"

Silence.

A long, cold moment of silence.

Gray's eyes angrily went to Gajeel's. His were wide with shock. He turned to Levy, but her gaze mirrored his, her mouth open. "For fuck's sake, WHAT?" He roared. He didn't notice the animalistic snarl under his words, or the way the ice around him twitched and crawled up his skin.

Like scales.

"You…read the words…on the doors?" Levy asked, completely dumbfounded.

Gray rolled his eyes. "I just said that. Come on. Someone help Juvia!"

"No, you don't understand—" Levy tried to continue.

"Damn it!" Gray snarled, losing every bit of his mind. " _Someone tell me what is wrong with my mate now, or so help me I will tear you all to pieces!_ "


	8. Incomplete

It was at that point, with Gray's last words echoing through the entire cavern, that Lucy and Natsu jerked to a halt near them. "What the fuck?" Was Natsu's only response, grabbing Lucy's hand to pull her back a few inches from his friend.

Gray was standing in the center of a ring of ice, shards of sharp crystals hanging in the air around him. Juvia lay passed out, looking frozen solid, paisley-like patterns swirling over her translucent body. Levy and Gajeel's feet were frozen in place. Natsu's eyes travelled back to Gray warily, and noticed a few shocking things all at once. His teeth were bared, revealing sharp fangs that poked against his bottom lip. The ice on his body was moving and shifting, forming scales over his skin and claws at the ends of his fingers. And soft, snowflake-like ice crystals were beginning to cling to him in a very familiar paisley pattern.

"Dragon slayer." Guardian said calmly. All eyes turned to him. But he was only looking at Gray. "Stop this nonsense at once. It will do your mate no good." Gray growled, his eyes appearing…as not _his_ eyes. They were vacant, feral. "You might hurt her if you do not stop." Gray's eyes narrowed, but he backed down, his ice retreated, fizzling out in the warm air of the cavern. He kept the magic keeping Juvia whole flowing down to her, though. She was beginning to stir, skin showing under his frost instead of just water.

"What. Is. Going. On." He growled, focusing on the only person seeming to know what was happening instead of standing there gawking like idiots.

"Easy, slayer." Guardian held up his hands disarmingly. "She is going to be alright. Well. In a sense." Gray snarled a warning, and Guardian shook his head. "Now, now. Don't you take that tone with me." He shook a finger at the ice mage. "You, slayer, are welcome. She, on the other hand, should never have come here."

"Why do you keep calling me that?" Gray asked, sounding more like himself, his eyes returning to normal and the scales fading out. The fangs and the pattern on his skin, though, remained.

"Should I not call you what you are?" Guardian raised an eyebrow and sounded genuinely confused.

"I'm _not_ a dragon slayer." Gray said firmly.

"Yes, you are." Gajeel, Levy, and Guardian said at once.

"You read the doors." Levy said. "The writing was Draconic. You either have to be a dragon or a dragon slayer to read them."

"You just entered Dragon Force." Gajeel continued. "There's no mistakin' that."

Juvia was almost back to herself, though still passed out. Gray glanced down at her, relief filtering through his rage and fear. "Look, I would have remembered being raised by a bloody dragon, or having lacrima implanted in me. So I could not be a dragon slayer."

"You really don't know." Guardian mused. "Come. This will take some explaining. Better to do it in comfort. Bring your mate." Gray gently eased Juvia into his arms, letting his frost dissipate as he followed the strange man to a hut. Several people met the group at the edge of the campsite, staring openly as they made a path. No one spoke. It was eerily silent as they crowded into the rear-most hut and sat on chairs, or a couch, or the floor. Gray laid Juvia on the bed and sat next to her, brushing her hair away from her face. She turned into him, grabbing his hand.

"I'm listening." Gray kept his voice low. She looked so peaceful, like she was sleeping. He didn't want to disturb her.

Guardian nodded. "You haven't gotten this far with your research of the tunnels' history." He said, looking to Levy and Gajeel. "It is a well-kept secret. One I am loathe to share with anyone outside of this party." The others nodded in understanding. "I told you that the Guardians of the tombs share the gifts of the dragons that are buried there. There is a reason for this." He paused, then sighed. "The entire tomb, though built by other dragons and slayers, are sustained and protected by the dead dragons' residual power. And the Guardians are a part of that. We carry with us the consciousness of the dragon, in a way."

"So, you _are_ Akiliscree?" Levy asked with evident awe in her voice.

Guardian nodded again. "For the most part. Most of Akiliscree's memories are long faded. But, yes, I carry with me the soul and remaining power of the dragon."

"What does that have to do with me or Juvia?" Gray asked, eager to get to the only part he cared for.

"More than you think." He snapped, more than a little frustrated with the mage. "Each tomb may have exactly one Guardian. But when a mated dragon dies, they are entombed together. Almost always, the dragons agree to combine lifeforces into one Guardian who shares both dragons' qualities—like me—I carry the force of both Akiliscree and his mate. On rare occasions, however, the two souls do not wish to combine, for various reasons, and one will be reborn. As a dragon slayer." He looked pointedly at Gray.

Gray's chin dropped. "Are you telling me I used to be a dragon?" He asked incredulously.

Guardian shrugged. "If that is how you wish to see it. Your soul, for whatever reason, was sent back out into the world. You were born a dragon slayer—no training or lacrima needed. Have you never had moments where you caused destruction without being aware of it, moments that felt more…animalistic? Have you never seen the scales of your Dragon Force before?"

Gray frowned.

 _"_ _Gray?" Erza's voice called to him from a distance. For the first time, she sounded unsure. If he didn't know any better, he'd say she was frightened. He looked down at her, then at the ground around him, mouth forming a perfect 'o' of shock._

 _"_ _What happened here?" Gray asked. "Did Natsu go crazy again?"_

 _"_ _Hey, stripper, don't look at me. This was all you." Gray shook his head in disbelief. It couldn't have been him. This was his first real mission. He couldn't possibly have caused all of this damage._

 _"_ _He's right." Erza said. She made her way to him, climbing over piles of rubble. "Something happened to you. It's like you were possessed." His eyes cut to her. Possession…like a demon? He didn't want anything to do with that kind of shit again. "Your eyes were glowing blue, and you kept growling at the ground. Then…It looked like you had scales. Like you were covered in ice. You…it was actually terrifying. You kept growling about a mate, and beating at the ground. Natsu said…He said it looked like you…" she turned to the fire dragon slayer._

 _"_ _It looked like you were one of us." Natsu finished for her, standing with his arms crossed. "I need the truth, Gray. Are you a dragon slayer?"_

 _Gray shook his head furiously. "No! I swear. I don't know what happened. Whatever it is, it's over now. I don't remember anything." Natsu looked at him for a moment longer, then nodded. Gray sighed in relief. And the three of them left that place._

 _As they were leaving, he turned back with a last glance; he could have sworn he heard someone crying._

Guardian nodded, as though Gray had confirmed his suspicion. "What about Juvia?" He asked quietly. He'd come back to the whole 'dragon slayer' thing later. She was more important.

Guardian sighed. "That is more complicated." He glanced around, as if trying to find something to help explain the situation. He came up empty-handed. "Juvia is what happens sometimes when a tomb is destroyed." The others looked at him blankly. "A Guardian is supposed to exist as long as the tomb can be sustained by the energy of the dragon. If the tomb is destroyed, all of the residual energy of the dragon goes to the only living vessel : the Guardian. Usually, he or she then disperses the energy, choosing to cease to exist rather than to walk the world as a lost soul. Again, though, in rare instances, the dragon decides that it would be better to return to the world. Usually, this only happens when their mate was reborn; they return for their mate."

"Juvia was a dragon, too?" Gray asked. Guardian nodded. "Is everyone a freaking dragon?" He growled, running a hand through his hair in agitation.

Juvia sat up suddenly, gasping, eyes wide as she glanced around at the unfamiliar surroundings. Gray cupped her face, forcing her to look only at him, whispering comforting words until she calmed down. "Gray. I have to go. I'm not supposed to be here. I—" She saw Guardian, and shifted, scooting back against the wall. "You. I know you."

Guardian nodded. "You do, indeed, Guardian." Juvia winced, clutching her head in her hand. He frowned. "Is something wrong, Guardian?" She cringed again, closing her eyes against the pain in her head.

"Stop…calling me that." She grit out between clenched teeth. "I'm not…" She couldn't put it into words. But Guardian was wrong. She wasn't that. Not anymore. She shook her head, trying to clear it. She opened her eyes and just seemed to notice that her friends were around them. Her brow furrowed in confusion. "What did I miss?"

"You're a dragon." Levy squeaked helpfully. The four were still deep in shock. Levy and Natsu were remembering several other instances that suddenly made more since, instances when they felt something, or when Gray acted a certain way that was out of character.

"I'm…what?" Juvia asked. Definitely not helpful.

"Juvia, Water dragon, mate to Grindelon, ice dragon of the north." Guardian stated, power in his voice. Juvia flinched away, eyes widening in shock as the words stirred something in her. "I demand you awaken."

It felt like something slammed into her. She was pushed into the wall behind her, head hitting with a sickening crack that had the others wincing. She gasped as memories flooded through her. A light suffused the room, dancing across the walls like waves. Gray growled low in his throat, and it began to snow in the hut. His eyes were on his mate. Juvia saw decades…centuries rush through her in a matter of seconds, and every emotion she had ever felt during that time. Hundreds of years of pure loneliness. She gasped in pain, and tears streamed down her face. Her body tensed against that agony. How could one person feel that much pain and…keep going? Gray moved into her line of sight, face pale with worry, and she understood. She had been waiting. For him. She had known they would be together again, eventually. She gripped his hand in hers as the memories swirled towards the present. She had felt him above her, had called out to him. Her dragon had responded, and the ground shook, and the ceiling cracked. Every lacrima that shattered in the quaking strengthened her. The whole place was coming down. He was right there, within reach; she just needed the last of the tomb to be destroyed. Then, a chunk of the stone wall had clipped her in the head, and she had fallen. The shaking stopped, taking out the last of the tomb, but her vision was black, and she couldn't move. She was out for a few seconds, and awoke again with almost no memory. And he was leaving. She could feel…something…something out of place. But her home was in shambles around her; everything was out of place. So she'd ignored it.

"You were right there." Juvia sobbed, collapsing in Gray's arms, clinging to him. "I tried to reach out to you. We were so close. And then…and you left…gods, we're together again, finally." Her entire body was shaking with the sobs. The others looked on, not sure what to do. "I…It was so lonely. So alone. You didn't come for me, like you said you would. I was…there was no one. And…then I felt you…you were freeing me…finally."

"Shhh." Gray held her close, not completely sure what she was talking about. But something in him—his dragon, apparently—knew, and was urging him to comfort his crying mate. Yes. His mate. He had claimed her. That didn't even scare him like it would have before they'd come together. It only completed him. "I'm here." He said, over and over again. It was what she needed to hear. "I'm here. You're not alone. You'll never be alone again." Slowly, her tears stopped, and she hiccupped, looking up at him with her salt-streaked face. He kissed away the tracks of the last tears, then gently pressed his lips to hers. "Never again." He whispered, his forehead against hers. She nodded, closing her eyes and breathing him in.

"You're dragons." Levy squeaked again, covering her mouth with her hand. That broke the tension that had settled over them. They all laughed together, easing back to a semi-normal state. Juvia wiped her eyes, but didn't back away from Gray; quite the opposite, curling closer and tucking her head under his chin. She was never leaving his arms again. Ever. "Marks!" Levy said, pointing to something shimmering on their bodies.

Gray and Juvia glanced down. Sure enough, the paisley-patterned snowflake marks were still there, wrapping around her stomach, across her back, down her thighs, over her breasts and up her neck like a lace collar. The corner of one of the shapes even curled over her jawline onto her cheek. The mark changed and glistened as she moved, like it was merely a trick of the light. But it was definitely there. Juvia ran a fingernail over his abs, and he shuddered at the sensation. She traced the matching mark on his body. His was a bit more visible, with a blue-ish tint, looking more like water than ice. It was just as delicate, just as beautiful. But, on both of them, there was a spot in the center of their backs where the marks blurred and stopped.

Incomplete. Gajeel and Levy both groaned, sharing a look of remembered suffering. Now, they truly understood why the pair had been acting as they had.

 _Incomplete._


	9. Promises

It had been two weeks since Gray and Juvia arrived and dropped several bomb shells on the rest of the party. Finishing the mark had been extremely easy; since they had already done most of it, and technically, Juvia's had been complete long before, all they had to do was finish the spell itself. Five minutes of effort and bam—the newest couple was permanently joined at the hip. That did not, however, make living with them any less awkward. Juvia was different, more distant, since she remembered bits and pieces of her past. Gray treated her like she was made of glass. And they were like newly-weds on their honeymoon, making out anywhere and everywhere. The others had been forced out of the bathhouse when they began hearing the very loud moans and pleas coming from their corner of the hot pool.

Gray was coming into his dragon slayer abilities rapidly, even faster than Levy and Lucy had. The fangs and eyes had settled after he had entered dragon force to protect his mate. He adjusted rather well to the strength and speed differences. Levy still had trouble with all of that, accidentally knocking over bookshelves or tearing clothing (to the endless amusement of her fiancé). One thing that Gray did not seem to have any control over was his dragon force. Whereas the other slayers had to work for it, had to put in quite a bit of effort and concentration, Gray slipped into the scales almost accidentally. Sometimes he would even wake up like that—usually only when Juvia was having nightmares.

Juvia was not adjusting nearly as well. She had nightmares. Horrible nightmares. Her memories from her previous life were coming back to her. And in her sleep, she was not in control; her inner dragon was. She woke up screaming, if she slept at all. They tried everything, even going as far as to try sedating her, but her body burned the medicine out too quickly. By the end of the two weeks, she was walking around in a daze, only half-there. Gray was growing more and more worried, and more and more possessive.

Natsu and Lucy were growing restless. They had done as much as they could there. The building projects were complete. Gajeel and Levy's new house was finished, and the bathhouse, the library, the campsites within the maze of tunnels themselves, their own little vacation home. They had even built a sort of open-air pavilion/war room/conference chamber. They didn't know exactly what it would be used for, but they had all felt the urge to put it in. It would come in handy later, perhaps. But they wanted to go back home, back to Fairy Tail. They missed their huge hectic family and all the shenanigans they got into. They missed the crazy drunken parties. And they missed going on missions and kicking ass. Besides, Guardian had decided to trust Golden Sarcophagus; they didn't need a guide anymore. Gajeel and Levy wanted to stay to the finish, but it was time for Lucy and Natsu to go home.

Gray and Juvia had decided to leave with them, as well. Juvia didn't feel comfortable in the tomb. She didn't belong there. Maybe being far away from it would help her sleep again. Besides, they wanted to find the other tomb—his tomb, their tomb.

They were all sitting around the fire pit—the team from Golden Sarcophagus, the six slayers, and Guardian. Levy sat between Gajeel's legs on the ground, rubbing her stomach, while Lucy lay stretched out on a log with her head in Natsu's lap. Juvia was curled into Gray's side, her eyes closed and her breathing steady and even.

"Will you tell the rest of the guild?" Levy asked quietly.

No one bothered to ask what she meant. "I don't know." Gray answered, rubbing Juvia's back. "Probably not, at least until we have it figured out a bit more. I don't want 'em to worry."

"Ya sure you can hide it?" Gajeel asked. Gray just shrugged. "Well, as a favor, try ta hide it." The others looked at him sharply, but neither he nor Levy would meet their eyes. "We may need a secret like that soon." His voice was barely a breath. Levy rubbed his arm.

Lucy turned her head curiously to her friend and opened her mouth, but Levy cut her off. "Don't ask questions; we can't answer them yet. Please, Lu." She begged her friend to stay silent with her eyes.

"You'll tell me when you can?" She asked quietly.

"Absolutely." Levy tried to hide her lack of conviction unsuccessfully. Lucy frowned.

Suddenly, Juvia jerked, clutching at Gray's shirt and whimpering. "Shit," Gray cursed, grabbing her shoulders gently. "Juvia, sweet heart, wake up," He said gently.

Juvia sat bolt upright, pulling away from Gray with an inhuman screech. Her eyes opened, but they were glassy and looked almost frozen over. " _No! My love! You cannot have him!"_ She screamed. It took a second for them to realize it was in draconic. Her voice was cold. " _I'll tear you apart_." She snarled. The other slayers leapt up and began pulling the civilians away, the members of Golden Sarcophagus torn between fear and curiosity as they watched this moment. Juvia stood, eyes narrowed. The mark on her skin was glowing a pure white. She swept one hand in a wide arc around her, and the ground around her became bone-dry, the little bit of grass shriveling. The water droplets met and formed a blade, steam curling up from it as the water making it up began boiling.

"Darling," Gray said, a warning note in his voice as he reached out. The second he touched her arm, though, she screamed and lunged at him. The blade met his side and froze solid before she heated it again. Gray hissed in pain from the heat and grabbed her, wrapping his arms like steel bands around her torso, pinning her arms down. Juvia struggled uselessly against him before throwing her head back and _roaring_. The slayers cried out and crouched, hands over their ears in pain as the river in the cavern jumped it's banks, exploding into the sky. The water in the bathhouse, the waterfall, the pools, their well—all the standing water lifted and began spinning over their heads. Clouds formed, the heat and pressure differences creating an electrical charge, lightning cracking against the ceiling. It began to rain, alternating between freezing cold and scalding hot. The archaeologists scrambled for cover in their huts, but didn't make it very far. Juvia was out of control. She began pulling water from every source. The field and garden began to whither. And she began drawing it out of the people, dehydrating them so rapidly they collapsed.

"Gajeel, help me!" Levy called as she slammed her palms onto the ground, pulling the iron particles from the ground and letting them pool, forming a bubble around the couple. Gajeel caught on and took over shaping the iron. Juvia tried to fight it, but Gray was keeping her mostly at bay. As soon as he'd freeze her water, she would boil it free and start fighting all over again.

"I don't know how well this is gonna hold, shrimp," Gajeel grunted as he frowned. Juvia was using her water to heat the metal.

"Just…a few…more…there!" Levy finished writing the four lines of runes, and used her light pen to direct them onto the bubble. Instantly, the storm quieted, the water returning to its sources. The bubble landed on the ground with a puff of dust, the runes like glowing bands around it. The only sounds in the cavern were thumps and cries coming from within the metal pen itself. The whole party gathered around, Guardian watching with a sad gaze. Finally, even that sound quieted. Only then did Levy drop the protective runes that kept Juvia's magic from reaching outside of the bubble, signaling for Gajeel to let the ball of metal melt back down. The walls came down to reveal Juvia on her knees in Gray's arms, sobbing into his chest. Gray looked devastated and terrified.

"What was that?" He asked, looking straight at Guardian.

"That," the being answered, "Was the mate of Grindellon, remembering the murder of her mate and the destruction she brought upon the humans that killed him."

"That was more than just a memory," Gray grit out through his teeth as Juvia's sobs quieted.

"That was Juvia reliving her worst memories. It is a form of PTSD. She is having flashbacks—dangerous flashbacks." He answered.

"How do we save her from them in the future?"

"She has to learn to deal with the trauma that caused them. She is fighting her dragon. She needs to accept herself." Guardian was solemn. "There is no other way. Until she does this, she will continue to have these violent dreams."

Gray cursed and squeezed his mate tighter. The rain above stopped, the electricity and clouds dissipating, the water returning to the river and the plants. A frost was creeping across the field, though, as Gray's mood darkened.

"Allow me, please, to speak with these two privately." Guardian said, and the others nodded respectfully and backed away, returning to the fire pit. The civilians were clutching at aching heads and gulping down fresh water. The dragon slayers remained standing, frowning into the flames. Lucy and Natsu may have been the fire dragon slayers, but all dragons had a fascination with fire. Something about it was just…primal, predatory, natural and beautiful and destructive and chaotic. It was like the soul of a dragon. Each slayer was searching for something in the flames, some sort of answer to the tasks before them.

"Levy?" Lucy asked from beside her. Levy looked towards her friend. "I know we said we would return home…Are you going to be okay? Both of you, I mean; I know Gajeel will keep you safe and happy." Levy smiled at her and patted Gajeel's arms wrapped around her waist.

"We'll be okay." She answered. "We have plenty here to keep us busy." Her smile, though, did not reach her eyes.

"Take a walk with me?" Lucy asked, pulling out of Natsu's arms and taking the blunette's hand. Levy nodded and let her lead her over the river bridge and into the silence of the trees. Lucy watched her face closely. Most people probably wouldn't have noticed the difference, but she knew something was up. She waited until they could no longer hear the others before speaking. "Are you going to tell me what is wrong, or do I have to guess?" She pulled them to a stop.

Levy didn't even try to deny it. She sighed as she sank down, leaning back against a tree trunk and rubbing her swollen stomach. "I…can't tell you everything, Lu," She began. Lucy sat across from her with a wounded expression. "Yet. I want to. Well, most of it anyway." She fingered a blade of grass and chewed her lip.

"Whatever it is, Lev, you know I'm here for you." The blonde replied when it seemed she would say no more.

Levy winced. "I…I want to believe that," She whispered morosely. "But you have no idea…" She shook her head. "Soon, I can tell you, but not until this little one is born." She patted her belly affectionately. "Our baby is Gajeel's and my first priority."

"Can you tell me anything?" Lucy asked, a tinge of desperation coloring her voice. "I'm worried about you; the pair of you have been acting strangely for weeks."

"I was being so careful," Levy gave her a wry smile. "I should have known you'd see through it."

"Of course, Lev. I'm your best friend."

Levy slumped and buried her head in her hands. "Lu," She groaned. "We had plans, goals—a whole life laid out on a silver platter."

Lucy blinked. "Had…?"

"Yes, had," She insisted. "I thought that, finally, we could put everything in the past behind us, but I should have known." Levy's voice was bitter.

"Levy, you're scaring me." The hair was standing up on Lucy's forearms, and a forboding chill trailed down her spine.

Suddenly, Levy lurched forward, grasping both of Lucy's hands in hers. "My past is catching up to us, Lu," she said in a harsh whisper. "I don't think I can run from it anymore." Lucy looked as though she was about to say something, but Levy frantically shook her head. "Please, don't ask question. I _can't_ tell you yet. But…it's bad, Lucy. It's really bad. We only have a few months to prepare. And then…" She retreated, fear in her eyes. "And then it's going to get weird and dangerous." She stood and turned, leaving Lucy sitting stunned on the ground. She didn't face her as she finished. "When the truth comes out, please try to remember we are your friends. And, promise, no matter what you think of me, you'll watch over my child and protect her. She will be born with many enemies." There was silence. "Promise," Levy repeated, half-turning her head.

"I promise," Levy stumbled over the words, but they seemed to satisfy the blunette, who began walking back towards camp. Lucy tried to comprehend what had just happened, but she couldn't make sense of it. So, she sat there, just staring where Levy had been standing, staring, until Natsu came to find her. She refused to tell him what had transpired, to his annoyance. But he could see the haunted look on his mate's face as they lay together in bed.

* * *

Levy and Gajeel sailed back with them to the mainland. She and Lucy didn't speak a word to each other the whole way, while Natsu looked confused. Gajeel looked sad for his mate, knowing what must have been said. They made a solemn procession through Alabaster Village towards the train station. The townspeople seemed to pick up on the tension, steering clear of the six Fairy Tail mages.

Finally, the train whistled, and it was time to say goodbye. Levy hugged Juvia and Gray and Natsu, wishing them all the best. Then she stood awkwardly before Lucy. Both women looked like they wanted to cry.

With a strangled sound, Lucy grabbed her friend and squeezed her tight. Levy buried her face in the blonde's shoulder. "I promise," Lucy said fiercely. "I will do exactly what you asked. Just know that, no matter what is troubling you, I will always stand by you."

The other slayers looked to Gajeel, who didn't answer, instead hugging the women to his chest. "Thank you," was all he said before the three separated. He and Levy stood back as they boarded, waving a last goodbye as the train pulled away.

Once it was out of sight, they walked to the diner that had welcomed them before. There in the back corner waiting for them sat Makarov, Porlyusica, Duranbolt, and the ghost-like image of Mavis Vermillion. "We're ready,' Levy said. "I won't wait for my past to blind-side us all. It's time to make a plan.

* * *

 _ **Note:** **I am not dead! I'm sorry I made you all wait. I know it sucks. But I didn't like where the story was going, and I had to make a change, and then I got caught up with some other writing, but I think we've got it back on track. Enjoy, my pretties!**_


	10. Out of Time

**Author's note:** _Hello again, my pretties. And welcome back to the wonderful adventures of Levy and Gajeel. As you will readily be able to tell, I am vamping this story up for part 3 already. And as you already know, I fell really behind in my writing for this. Buuuut that is just because I really got going on my non-fanfiction stories. I want to say I'm back on track, but that would be a lie. I've had this chapter hand-written for a while, and I finally had a chance to type it up. So, I hope you enjoy. And, I hope, I will be posting more in the recent future._

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Chapter 10 - Out of Time

"Levy, come on to bed," Gajeel said from the doorway of the small study alcove in the library she had claimed as her own—the extension they had added necessarily after realizing they would be filling all the shelves in the library.

Levy sat cross-legged on the couch in the alcove with a book resting upon the arm to her left, a bed tray with a notebook on her right. The most prominent feature in the room was Levy herself. At eight months pregnant, her stomach was huge beneath the violet colored sundress she wore. Her hair was falling from her pony tail and framing her face. She glowed, for sure, as most pregnant women would, but there were circles under her eyes and worry lines on her face. "Not yet. I need to finish this." Her voice held a sense of urgency that he understood.

"You need to rest," He answered. Levy didn't look up, but her pen stopped moving, hovering over the page.

"We are running out of time, Gajeel."

"I know, love. But you've done everythin' you can today. Come to bed." He watched her sigh and close the notebook. He noticed the differences between the one she was writing in and the ones she usually used—this one was a thicker, black, leather-bound journal. A line of glyphs was embossed in red ink on the cover in Ancient Fiorean. Gajeel had never been a studious follower of ancient languages, but he knew that phrase—"know and evolve." He straightened. "You're writin' it down?" He asked in an incredulous, yet hushed tone.

"What if something happens to me?" She asked in response. "What if something happens to _us_? I want her to know…even if she can't understand…I want our daughter to know the truth."

"Hey, nothin's gonna happen to us." Gajeel moved to sit next to her, placing the tray on the floor and pulling her into his arms. "Even if somethin' goes wrong with our plans, you and me are comin' out on top."

Levy studied her engagement ring on her left hand, resting on her stomach. She felt a small kick and smiled reflexively. "If we don't though…Gajeel, I don't think you realize how dangerous this plan is. And I don't just mean to us physically. Everyone and everything we care for will be implicated. Our lives before will be over the minute we set the truth free. And I.." She was having a difficult time voicing her fears. "Even if everything goes right…I don't know if…" She couldn't finish that thought. "Our daughter is going to hear so many awful things, so many horrible memories and fragments of truth. I want her to know how loved she is, and that, no matter what anyone says, she is not…"

"You don't want her to think she only comes from that kind 'a darkness," he finished after she trailed off. "I understand that, shorty, but that can't be left lyin' around." Levy clutched the journal to her chest. "I know that, Gajy. I know it better than most. You're the only person I have ever told any of this to, ever. And you're the only one to know everything. "

"Gajeel blinked down at her. "I thought you said the old man—"

Levy shook her head slowly. "He knows the facts. He knows the chronological order of events, but I have never told him or anyone on the Magic Council, or anyone else how I _feel_ about all of it. They probably guess the fear, the anger, some of the sadness. But I don't know if my grief or resentment for the way it happened ever occurred to them, especially once I agreed to let Duranbolt pull away many of my memories. Plus…I never described it to them. What I saw. What I did…what I had been taught before that night."

"Levy McGarden is not a bad person," Gajeel whispered into her hair.

"No, she isn't," Levy murmured. She looked down at the journal again. "I was going to give it to Porlyusica." She said at last. "Since she is neutral in all affairs, and because she would never be suspected of being involved with this darkness."

"Not the master? Or the She Devil?" He asked.

"Every member of Fairy Tail will be suspect. I don't trust the Magic Council not to change the information, or to use it against us. We can't just leave it somewhere, or who's to say our daughter will ever find it? And we definitely cannot have it anywhere near us." She counted the possibilities down on her fingers. "She's the only option I can consider."

"She's not a bad choice," Gajeel granted.

Levy reached for Gajeel's hand and placed it on the side of her stomach. After a heartbeat of nothing, he felt their baby kicking against his hand and smiled. "I can't wait to meet her," Levy whispered. "To hold her."

"We sure about the name?" Gajeel sounded worried. "We can't take that back."

"Positive. She needs a name that means something."

"That name— _all_ of those names—are gonna mean some pretty big somethin's." Gajeel iterated.

"Well," she patted the journal once again. "It's all in here. One day, she'll know."

Gajeel nodded and was silent for several minutes before shifting. Levy complained as she was forced out of her comfortable position. "Like I said," he smirked as she pouted up at him. "Time for bed." She gathered her materials and set them back up on the desk. The journal, she kept firmly in her grasp; it was too dangerous to leave lying around.

Gajeel bent and swept her into his arms, making her giggle as she wrapped her arms around his neck. It was dark in the cavern. Levy had not realized how late it had gotten, but the fire pits were cold, the lanterns shuttered. There was only a faint glow from the ceiling above and the flicker of a candle behind the windows of their hut. She relaxed into him, feeling the anxiety easing, the tension releasing, and she just let herself enjoy her mate's presence. She didn't bother removing the dress; it was worn and soft and comfortable. Plus that just sounded like a lot of effort as he eased her onto the bed.

Looking down at her as she sleepily burrowed under the covers, Gajeel couldn't help but think this whole thing had gotten blown out of proportion; she was too innocent, too sweet, and too kind for the sort of darkness she was claiming. As he snuffed the candle and drifted to sleep beside her, though, he also couldn't help the grim image that flashed through his mind about the task ahead of them.

* * *

Levy was alone in the library an hour before dawn. She had been there most of the night, since she couldn't find a comfortable position to sleep. She set her pen on the rest and slumped in her chair, staring down at the book before her. She had done it, actually done it, and now this…thing was real. It existed, and she couldn't take it back. Suddenly, she felt sick. This should never have seen the light of day. But, another sharp stomach c ramp and a well-placed kick to her ribs convinced her not to just thro the book in the fire. She looked down at the last few words inscribed on the page.

 _Now you know all of the truth. I hope that one day you can forgive us._

 _Your father and I love you, more than anything._

 _Yours eternally,_

 _Gajeel and Levane Redfox_

Levy glanced at her left hand, where a simple iron wedding band rested beneath her beautiful engagement ring. The ceremony had been brief, quiet, and secret. The guest list had been sparse—Master Makarov, Lucy Juvia, Wendy, Erza, and Mirajane—only those who already knew the plan could attend. Guardian had officiated the ceremony. They would have a proper wedding, later, after, she promised herself, if there was an after for them.

Levy picked up her light pen then, and turned to a clean page. She had practiced the spell several times to be sure it would work. In theory, the long lines of glyphs would, when combined with a simple lock spell, keep the book from being read by anyone other than the intended recipient or by someone who already knew the contents. She finished the inscription and saw the runes burn themselves into the page, the glow of the light pen fading, and closed the book. Another stomach cramp stabbed her, and she winced. Before placing the final lock rune, she carefully inscribed 'Levane' on the front cover. As the magic of her spell took hold, the book glowed a bright silver, then a black, like it knew the shades of its contents, before settling again, looking like any other leather-bound tome.

It was finished.

She felt tired suddenly and yawned, grabbing the book as she stood and moved to leave. She felt something wet on her legs and glanced down. Fluids pooled on the floor at her feet, and she felt a wave of fear as she realized what it meant. She was alone, out of camp, and in labor. She needed to get back, now. As quickly as she dared, she waddled towards the door. A wave of pain surged from her middle, and she stumbled, falling on her hands and knees, then slumping to the side. The library was spinning, and she could smell something else now—the metallic bite of fresh blood.

"No!" "she gasped as her head grew weightless. "Gajeel!" She tried to cry out, but she had no breath to voice it before she passed out.

* * *

Gajeel woke to someone pounding frantically on the front door. The bed next to him was empty and cold, and he grumbled as he struggled up and into a pair of jeans. He yawned, and froze as he caught a familiar horrifying scent—Levy's blood, and the tang of fear. He almost ripped the door off its hinges. "Where?" he growled.

"Porlyusica is already with her in the library," Kara was crying, her hands stained with blood. He did not wait for her to say more, taking off towards the river. He caught up to Master Makarov, who was walking quickly across the bridge, and ducked to scoop him up, and carry him along. He blew past a handful of people—most of the camp—milling around outside, and he heard Levy scream as he burst through the doors. Levy lay on the floor between two stacks, Porlyusica between her legs. Wendy sat next to her holding her hand with eyes closed. Her hair was lifting slightly, and her hands glowed, so he knew she must be trying to heal his mate—his wife.

"What happened?" He asked in a strangled growl as he fell next to her. Levy's face was screwed up in pain.

"What does it look like, you hulking fool?" Porlyusica snapped. "If you are finished asking stupid questions, perhaps you could help your mate." She pointed a crooked, bloody finger at Makarov. "Get one of the idiots lurking outside to gather hot water and blankets. You, though ,need to stay close, just in case." She turned her dagger eyes on the iron dragon slayer. "You, sit behind her, prop her shoulders up, and try to calm her down."

Gajeel obeyed, his movements slow and jerky as he saw his mate hurting and bleeding. Levy screamed again, and everything iron int eh room bent towards her, the lights sparking. Gajeel smoothed her hair back and pulled her up enough to slide his thighs under her shoulders. She opened her eyes, and he gulped. They were bloodshot, full of tears, and glazed with pain.

"Ga…jeel," she whined. "It hurts."

"I know, shorty," he answered softly. "But we're all here now. Yer gonna be just fine."

"There's…too much…blood," Levy gasped and arched her back. Wendy's face screwed up, and the younger girl let out a whimper.

"Pssh," Porlyusica huffed. "Now you're the expert. Hush girl," Her words were as harsh as always, but her tone was gentler with her, like always. "You're almost there,'' she urged.

Wendy suddenly took a quick breath, whimpered, and collapsed, and the witch cursed. "I need you to brace yourself, foolish girl," she told Levy. "Wendy can't take anymore of your pain away."

"Oh, gods," Levy breathed, squeezing her eyes shut. Her next scream came out as the feral roar of a wounded dragon. Gajeel even felt the iron of his piercings shift towards her and grunted. Iron scales rippled over Levy's flesh, and she began to writhe.

"No!" Porlyusica commanded. "Levy, stop! You're going to hurt the both of you!" Levy did not hear her, though, I her agony. She was trying to run towards strength and power, away from the pain.

There was a black glow burning beneath her, expanding, brightening, turning blood red. "What on Earthland…? Porlyusica scrambled to pull Wendy out of the way. Suddenly, there was a sound like a thunderclap that shook the building and popped the eardrums of everyone in the tomb.

Gajeel cried out, less worried about the noise than he was about the searing pain that rippled through him, white hot, then ice cold, through every muscle, bone, and tendon in his body.

"Not possible," Makarov muttered. He was kneeling, looking strained. "Gajeel, my boy, she broke the seal."

"Ya fuckin' think?!" He snapped. Something was quickly sapping away his magic power. Levy continued to writhe, but this time, the lights flickered and dimmed, and an entire bookshelf crumpled, the books tumbling haphazardly to the floor. The blood soaking the stone floor shivered, and tiny grey beads began to pull themselves out of the liquid; Levy was drawing every atom of iron towards herself and stealing every ounce of energy from even the lacrima.

"Stop her!" Porlyusica shouted. "Or this entire tomb could come tumbling down around us!"

Gajeel growled. "No shit!" He closed his eyes as he felt new shadows lurking in his mind. He reached out to one of them, and it was like falling into a dream. He could sense every energy source around him—the lacrima, the mages, the archaeologists, and there was Levy, a burning sun pulling streams of power into herself. And there, within her, was a tiny flicker—their daughter. He reached forward with his hand, as though he could feel the power, and closed his fist around one of the streams feeding his wife. It was like touching a thunder lacrima, but he tightened his grip and held on. He was new to this power, but he could _feel_ the flow of energy, like a water current. He pushed experimentally, and it moved, snapping the cord and breaking the connection. He quickly did the same to the other tethers, then turned his attention to Levy. She still glowed, but the light was no longer being fed. She whined, and he instinctually reached for her. Her light burned, and he hissed, almost jerking back, but he had to persist. He urged it towards himself, and a shaky coil of pure power connected them. He breathed deep, calming himself. He could do this. Levy had told him what to expect, how the power worked, but it was still so foreign, so different from everything he had ever experienced. It was like munching on pure iron for the first time, only 100x better. His limbs tingled, and he felt the urge to run. Hell, he felt he could fly. Levy calmed some and reached up to clutch at his hands, squeezing as another contraction overtook her.

That's it," Porlyusica soothed. "I can see her now."

For the next several minutes, Gajeel struggled to control Levy's power intake. He could feel her weakening in his arms, and it broke his heart. Finally— _finally_ —he heard a tiny intake of air, a soft cough, and the wailing of a newborn, and he looked at the witch in awe.

"Makarov!" She snapped. The tiny old man jumped up from where he had slumped against the wall, and she handed him a bundle of blankets. "Clean her off. And, you, boy," her voice brought Gajeel's eyes back to hers. "How much control have you got on that gift?"

"Not much," he grunted.

"Can you give any energy to Wendy?" He glanced at the blunette, who had awoken and now watched wide-eyed and pale. He tried to push the light he had gathered towards her. It was much harder than drawing it in, but after a second, he felt himself weaken. He knew for sure it was working when Wendy jumped to her feet and looked around wildly. "Good. Girl, get over here and heal your patient."

Wendy snapped to attention and rushed to kneel at Levy's side, resting a hand over her heart. Gajeel could hear it beating, more slowly than it should. A soft blue glow filled the room. Gajeel kept a steady stream flowing to Wendy, and he watched in detached fascination as it seemed to expand like an aura around her, then shatter and vanish as the spell released. There were several seconds of tense silence before Levy came to with a gasp, arms flailing.

"Hey, hey," Gajeel soothed. "I've gotcha, shrimp."

"Gajeel?" She breathed deeply and turned her face into his legs. "I tried to call out to you, but I couldn't." She froze. "The book. Where's the book?" She shakily pushed herself up on her hands and looked around, then pointed frantically. "There! It can't be damaged!"

Wendy wiped her brown and reached for it as Porlyusica scolded. "Your research is much less important than the birth of a child. Here, giver her to me." Makarov handed her the bundle, now wrapped in a single soft purple blanket. It squirmed and made small, frustrated noises as the pinkette checked her over. "There, there," she murmured softly.

"It's not…research," Levy began to argue, but her full attention now rested on the little hand grasping for a stray strand of pink hair. Gajeel was torn. Watching the witch while glancing down at his mate, making sure she was really okay. She seemed weak but overall did not show signs of damage, besides the blood still soaking her and the floor.

"Alright, brats," the witch said, crouching down on the other side of them. Gajeel helped Levy sit up, leaning heavily into him, and Porlyusica gently transferred the warm bundle to her arms. "Let me introduce you to your daughter." They stared down in wonder. Two piercing brown eyes stared back. The irises were rimmed with crimson, giving her face a mysterious, otherworldly look ,but her hair was the same cornflower blue as Levy's, finer than spider's silk.

"Oh, sweet girl," Levy breathed, running her finger along her cheekbones. "Gajy, look at her."

"She's perfect," his voice broke, and, impossibly, he felt tears filling his eyes. "Completely perfect."

Levy faltered and looked to Makarov. "Does she…?"

"She has the mark," the master sighed.

Carefully, Levy turned the babe, and sure enough, on her left shoulder blade, was a birthmark—a feather, a pale silver color. Levy closed her eyes, and a single, worried tear fell down her cheek as she leaned down and kissed the girl's forehead. "It doesn't matter right now," she said in a shaky voice. "Right now, all that matters is that she is healthy and safe." She turned a sad, but serious gaze on the guild master. "But you know what this means for our plans." He nodded gravely. "We need to call a meeting. Two weeks."


	11. Revelations

**Note:** **I am so sorry, friends! I didn't double check the document before I sent it. I have fixed it now, though, and be looking for the next chapter as an apology within the next day or two. Please, enjoy! And as always, I love hearing feedback on my stories! Those comments keep me going!**

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Chapter 10 : Revelations

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Gajeel asked as he and Levy were walking to the dug-in amphitheater in the main cavern of the tomb.

Levy clutched her book in her arms, the cover hidden against her chest. "Gajeel, Kara saw me working on this, and then she found it on the shelves, locked with my name and a fairly damning motto on the front cover." Know and evolve… The words rattled around in her head, in her mother's voice, her father's, her brother's, her maid's…She shook her head. "We need to get ahead of any rumors, and besides," she glanced up to where their daughter napped against Gajeel's breast. "Golden Sarcophagus is staying here for a few more months at least. If we end up hiding out here at all, they may need to know. Plus, it will be good practice for telling the guild."

Gajeel's gaze softened. "They'll all understand, Lev."

"Don't be so sure. That's a lot…it's a lot to accept," Levy muttered. "Okay," she breathed, pausing a moment at the steps down into the amphitheater. Everyone who had entered the tomb was waiting for them "Just like a band aid." She squared her shoulders and stepped forward to the open center. Gajeel pressed a kiss to the top of her head and took the book from her before taking a seat next to Lucy and Natsu, who had been staying in the tomb since Evie's birth. She took a deep breath.

"I…thank you all for meeting here today," She began, voice trembling ever so slightly. "I'm sorry, this is just…very hard for me to say. You see, my secret…I've only ever told one person before." She took another breath. Like a band-aid…She opened her mouth, prepared to just come out with it, but her voice failed her. She felt a power welling up, keeping her from speaking. Levy floundered a moment, mouth opening and closing before she looked at Master Makarov, who stood.

His voice echoed in the cavern. "With the power vested in me as a Wizard Saint by the Magic Council of Fiore, I, Makarov, release Levane of her oath of silence."

Levy let out a heavy breath as the invisible fist around her throat vanished. She nodded at him and returned her gaze to the rest of the crowd, pointedly not meeting Lucy's eyes. "Here we go," she muttered as she reached down to grab her light pen from her boot. "I have a secret, a very dangerous, very hidden secret. And none of you are going to like it." She steadied her hand and began to draw a symbol in the air—dragonfly wings. She drew a line between the pairs of wings, hesitated, and continued, the line curving below and coming to a point. She finished the symbol with horns above, and everyone in the amphitheater who didn't already know her secret exploded. Several people jumped up and took a few steps back. Lucy clutched at Natsu, who looked confused; everyone was yelling.

Gajeel calmly stood and whistled sharply, and they quieted. "Let her speak," he warned as he sat once more.

"You have every right to be afraid—of this symbol," She pushed with her pen and the mark moved to hover on her right side. "And of me." Finally, she met Lucy's wide eyes. "My name—my real name—is Levane Darkwing."

"No," Lucy said with tears welling up in her eyes. "Levy, tell me you're kidding, please."

"I told you I had a dark past, Lu," Levy said.

"That's not darkness, Lev, that's…that's void." Lucy said in horror.

Sorren stood and addressed her. "There are no records of a Levane Darkwing. According to the official histories the only Darkwing that would be around your age is a man named Evidar."

"Eddie is dead," she said quickly. "I am the last of the Darkwing line." She felt a surprisingly sharp stab of pain at the thought of her brother. Ever since she had Duranbolt put her memories back in place, it was like those wounds had been opened fresh. She pushed against it to continue. "You won't find me in the Darkwing histories because I was never in them. By the time I was conceived, the family was in a great deal of peril. The world already knew of my brother, so there was no way to hide him. But me…" She bowed her head. "They hid the pregnancy. And when I was born with the mark, they knew I was in too much danger."

"When you say you were born with the mark…" Kara interrupted, a horrified question unsaid behind her voice.

"Yes," Levy confirmed. "I was born with the Darkwing gift, as was our daughter." Heads turned to Gajeel, who glared back as if daring someone to come after her.

"Hold up," Natsu said. "What are you even talkin' 'bout? The fuck is a Darkwing?" Everyone stared in shock. "What? I'm serious."

"The Darkwings," Sorren began, standing with he hands clasped behind his back in his most professorial voice. "Were—or, I guess, are—a family of dark wizards hat founded and controlled the dark guild Devil's Pixie." Natsu's eyes furrowed, and Sorren gave him a disappointed look. "Devil's Pixie, as you should know, were the most infamous dark guild ever to walk Earthland. While they did end the inter-guild wars, which devil's advocate historians clam a great achievement towards the grand scheme of the world, they did so by literally wiping out warring parties. Because of the immense power of the Darkwing gift, the founding members Evelyn and Amar Darkwing single-handedly murdered every leader of every nearby guild, and most of their high-ranking members, along with the current kings of Fiore and Bosco, the heads of the Magic Council, and the current Wizard Saints. They, their children, and their grandchildren effectively ruled the world for the next 60 years."

"How did you not know this?" Lucy asked her mate.

Natsu shrugged. "Igneel never taught me, and no one's ever mentioned 'em 'round me." He looked towards Makarov. "How'd the guild let 'em take over, anyway? And why didn't we fight back?"

Makarov took over the lesson, giving Levy an apologetic glance. "Devil's Pixie did not begin as a magic guild. In their conception, they were a treasure-hunting guild; though, many of their members were wizards who were also claimed by wizard guilds." He paused. "There were no agents within Fairy Tail. In fact, it is believed that the reason they took so long to put their plans in motion was that they were waiting on first master Mavis to die. The second master and most of the guild members were still on Tenrou Island burying her when the Darkwings struck, which is probably why they were not destroyed."

It was Levy's turn to talk, sounding very small yet ancient and weary. "Fairy Tail did fight back." Makarov sat again. "Any small semblance of rebellion under my family's reign was rooted out and destroyed. And with the Gift, it was nearly impossible for wizards to mount an attack on them—on us." She corrected.

Natsu broke in. "What's this gift ya keep talkin' about?"

"It's a hereditary power, passed down to most of the Darkwings. Those of us born with this mark," she drew the wings in the air to her left, and they hovered like her family's guild mark. "Well, basically, we are siphons. We can steal the magical energy from people, objects, and even spells around us."

"Really?" Sorren popped up, plain curiosity overtaking the fear in his features. "I thought it was only other wizards you could take from.

Levy nodded. "We can siphon power from anything, really, including spells and lacrimae, and then use, store, or transfer it.

"Fascinating," he murmured.

She returned her attention to Natsu. "Fairy Tail took over the rebellion against Pixie, though the family never knew it for sure. The rebellion used non-wizard agents to kill my grandparents, and then my great-grandparents. They retook cities and fortresses, and they rescued and hid the remaining members of the royal family, and they almost killed my parents. They systematically took out every Darkwing, even the ones in hiding and the ones who never took on the family name, until only my parents and I were left."

Kara was sitting forward with her elbows on her knees. "So, Evidar Darkwing was killed by the rebellion? According to the histories, he was reported as missing in action during a mission."

Levy's eyes became sad and lonely. "Our parents spread that lie themselves. In truth, when I was six, the danger was so great that I was moved to a suite beneath the Darkwing castle and never allowed in public, and they decided to send Eddie—Evidar away. They gave him a single bodyguard and told him to disappear. No contact until the rebellion was crushed. That was the last time I saw my brother."

"But he is actually dead?" Kara continued.

Levy's face fell further. "Yes. When the castle was later stormed, the soldiers took great pleasure in telling my parents of his demise, right before they beat them to death, slowly, with a lot of blood and screams."

"You say that like you were there," Sorren said quietly.

"I was under the bed," she answered. "My nurse maid was hiding me there. She tried to escape with me, but she didn't make it."

"The orders," Sorren said, sitting forward. "Were to take no prisoners. They didn't want the Darkwing curse to spread."

Levy nodded. "And that would have held, had it not been Macao and his partner that cornered us. My maid killed his partner, and Macao killed her accidentally while defending himself. He saw what the soldiers were doing. He knew who I was the minute he saw me. And he knew what would happen if he turned me over to them. So he ran with me, all the way to the Magic Council." All eyes were on her. "I sat there, still covered in the blood of three of the four people I most cared about, crying like any eight-year-old would, knowing that my family and friends were all dead. And the Council debated about whether to kill me, imprison me, strip me of my powers, or sterilize me to be sure I wouldn't 'breed,' as they put it." Levy's voice turned cold, and Lucy covered her mouth again, looking down. "Until Master Makarov stepped forward. He said he would not stand for them murdering me in cold blood or ruining my future. I was just a child. He claimed responsibility for me, under a few conditions."

"Levy took an oath of silence," Makarov said, "One upheld through the power of the Council, and she would remain a member of Fairy Tail her entire life. If for some reason she left the guild, or we disbanded, or she was forced out, the Magic Council would regain custody of her. And, her existence would remain a secret. She was already written out of histories." He looked very sad. "I agreed to change her name. And she was forced to agree to allow the Magic Council to bind the Darkwing gift."

"A bind which I broke," Levy continued. "The morning my daughter was born."

"What does that mean?" Lucy asked. "For you, I mean. What does it mean for you?"

Levy bowed her head. "It means that if I come in contact with one of the handful of people there when the spell was placed on me, I will be placed under immediate arrest, and the Magic Council will probably execute me, as well as steal my daughter. And, since I set the precedent that proved such a binding can be broken, they will probably just sentence her either to life in their prisons, or to death."

"They can't do that!" Lucy and Kara said together. The others in the room stood and shouted similar epithets. It didn't matter.

"They can," Levy raised her voice, until they quieted down. "They can, and they will. I officially don't exist. It would be easy to wipe me away. But that is not the biggest concern at the moment. In fact, given our other problems, it may be a boon."

They shared confused looks. Levy took another breath. Just another band-aid, come on. "We have evidence to believe that someone is reviving Devil's Pixie, much in the same manner as before." Now the tomb grew deadly quiet. "And we believe they are using Mercury's Hammer to do so."

"You…what?" Lucy asked in a shaky voice.

"As you know, we, the dragon slayers, were planning to dismantle Mercury's Hammer, as soon as our job here in the tomb was complete." Levy began. Gajeel stood and handed Evie to Porlyusica, who rocked her with a surprising lack of complaint, as he brought his mate a chair. She thanked him with a sad smile and sat, relieved, still a bit weak and sore from the ordeal of Evie's birth. She crossed her ankles and fiddled with her light pen in her lap to keep her hands busy. The marks had faded by then. "So, I began doing research as soon as that decision was made. And I began to recognize some dangerous patterns. The types of missions that Hammer takes on, and the items that they have procured, the reputation, the placement of their bases, the fact that many of their members are members of other guilds, not just wizard guilds, but merchant and artisan guilds as well. It was all too familiar. So, I asked for help from Master Makarov and first master Mavis. And they agree with me."

The two in question nodded gravely. "It is true," Mavis said. No one outside of Fairy Tail could see her, but Makarov repeated her words. The Golden Sarcophagus crew looked fascinated and confused. "I did not recognize the patterns before, as I was…preoccupied." She blushed a little. "But it is a good strategy; someone is maneuvering Mercury's Hammer into place in a way too much like Devil's Pixie to be coincidence."

Levy nodded. "So, we are moving up our plans. The rest of – well, everyone – knows nothing. But…it is something we have discussed in great detail. The only person in the know not here is Duranbolt, who will be our agent within the Magic Council."

"Why do you need an agent on the Council?" Lucy asked. Levy saw the fear in her eyes; Lucy knew. She was too clever not to have guessed.

Gajeel stood this time and walked to stand behind Levy. "The Magic Council will soon be after us – all three of us. We intend to reveal Levy's history publicly and disappear, gain favor with Mercury's Hammer, if possible, determine the threat, and kill it."

Lucy rose and stomped down to stand in front of them, toe-to-toe with Gajeel. She jabbed a finger into his chest. "What happens after, huh?" She asked, scowling back and forth between them. "You'll have to officially leave the guild to pull this off. You'll be on the run from every bounty hunter, soldier, and member of the Council. You'll be forced to fight your friends. You'll have to hurt people to pull this off, you know. Hurt people."

Despite the harsh words and tone, Levy could see the tears at the corners of Lucy's eyes. "We know what we're walking into, Lu. Remember, we've both belonged to dark guilds before."

Lucy glared up at Gajeel. "How could you ask your mate to do this? To walk away from her friends and her life?"

"It was my idea," Levy broke in quietly.

Lucy whipped her head around. "That's even worse. You of all people know how good Gajeel is, and how hard he's worked to kill the bad reputation a few horrible choices brought him."

Levy bowed her hand, covering her face with her hands. "You don't understand." Her voice was choked and muffled, but the despair was clear. "We have no choice."

"You always have a choice!" Lucy yelled back.

Levy growled low in her throat and stood straight, chair clattering over behind her, and spun to face her friend. "Yes! You're right. We have a choice! But it's not the choice you think." She gestured between herself, Gajeel, and Evie. "We, the second we are found out, all three of our heads are on the line. Period. You asked what breaking that bind meant for us? Fine, I won't sugar-coat it. Straight from the mouths of the Council, should my Gift be returned, or should a child be born with the Mark, then the wrath of Fiore will fall upon me, my very existence wiped from the face of Earthland, so that no one will ever know that their leaders allowed a child born of the darkest shadows of hell to live among them." She felt the anger and resentment she hadn't felt since she was a child welling up in her chest. She also felt a swell of power as she instinctually began drawing magic and iron and shadows towards herself. "All three of us have the Gift, so all three of us will be erased. I am not going to let my family suffer because of my past. I can't protect Fairy Tail from the fallout. But I can protect us. That means going on the run, and staying on the run, for the rest of our lives. However," She took a step back and forced herself to calm, feeling the iron she'd drawn up through the earth sink back down slowly. "I also cannot sit idly by as someone resurrects the evils of tat past." She met Lucy's gaze once more. "You asked us what happens after? The answer is :we might not have an after."

Lucy drew back. Makarov, however, walked towards them. "Levy, my child, no matter what happens, never forget that Fairly Tail is also your family. And we. Protect. Our own." His last words were clipped and full of power. Natsu nodded from his seat. "I will make sure you have a place after this mission, if I have to take on the Council myself."

"You will have our support, Master Makarov of Fairy Tail," Sorren said, his comic mustache bobbing up and down. "Mr. Redfox and Ms. McGarden have proven themselves to us over the last several months. We will stand for them, if no one else will." Levy blinked at him in shock. "Although, I dare say we will not be alone. Levy, Gajeel, you must remember you have friends. When this news is released, there will be much shock, but people who know you will know to judge you by your actions, not your parents.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Levy murmured. "Thank you, Sorren. I will keep it in mind. And, perhaps, we could return once this ordeal has passed…but I will not cling to hope and forego preparation for the worst." She reached out towards the book, sensing the iron in the binding, and it floated to her. She stepped to Sorren. "You are the Master of Golden Sarcophagus, the most prominent group of archaeologists and historians in the kingdoms. I would ask that you keep this. It is a full record of my life, all of my secrets, including many Darkwing secrets." His eyes lit up, but as he tried to take the book, her grip tightened. "If the worst should happen to us, our daughter will be protected and raised by Fairy Tail. Eventually she will go searching for this knowledge. I ask that you hold onto it until she does." His eyes held a deep understanding. "Only those who know my secrets may read it. I wish tit to stay that way. I do not want copies distributed unless the Darkwings are all gone, or unless they – we – are finally free."

"We have many tomes of dangerous, guarded knowledge," Sorren confirmed. "We will protect this one, too." Levy nodded in gratitude and finally released her grip.

As she turned, he let out a short breath. She raised a brow and felt his fingertips hover over her shoulder blade. "I've never seen the mark in person," he explained.

Levy's eyes widened. "What do you mean?" she felt the tip of a finger trace the wings…wings that should not have been visible.

Makarov quickly moved to join them and sighed. "The guild mark no longer hides it," he said. "You will have to cover it until our plans are in action."

Levy closed her eyes, trying to hide the few tears. Her guild mark had always been worn proudly, a badge of honor, a symbol that she had a family. Now even that had been corrupted. "I understand," she muttered. "I'm tired." With that, she slowly walked away, out of the amphitheater, and to their hut, into the safety of her little home, temporary as it was.


	12. Disowned

Chapter Eleven : Disowned

"Levy! Stop! What are you doing?" Lucy cried, rushing forward two steps before her mate pulled her back.

"No, Luce, don't. It's too dangerous." Natsu growled. His gaze narrowed on the little blunette.

"That's Levy! That's still my best friend." Lucy urged, struggling to break Natsu's grip.

"That's not the Levy you remember," He said.

Levy stood in the middle of a circle of Fairy Tail wizards, who all had spells poised and ready to fire at her. "How could you?!" Mirajane was screaming, struggling as her siblings held her back. Tears were streaming down her face. "How could you?"

Levy didn't look even remotely worried. Levy didn't look like Levy. That adorable smile the script mage had always worn, no matter the situation, the one full of hope and love and understanding that melted anyone's heart—that smile was gone, replaced with a cold sneer. Her eyes weren't soft, but hard. She was standing defiantly, with her arms crossed, nonchalantly staring down her would-be attackers.

Halfway between the circle of sorcerers and the Strauss siblings lay the still and bloody body of Jason, the reporter for Sorcerer Weekly, Mira's on-again, off-again boyfriend.

"Relax. He's not dead." Levy sneered. Even her voice was different. She sounded…mean. Levy McGarden was many things, but mean wasn't one of them. Even as she spoke, Jason groaned and stirred. Mira pulled free of her brother and sister's strong grips and flung herself to the ground next to him, cradling his head in her arms. "See, not dead." She flicked a finger in their direction. "So, you can put those silly little spells away now." She was mocking them. How could this make any sense?

"Levane Marie McGarden." A voice boomed, and Levy turned her cold gaze to Master Makarov, who stood atop the Fairy Tail guild hall gate. Citizens of Magnolia were gathering around, watching in horror as events unfolded. "What is the meaning of this?"

"What do you mean, old man?" Levy said without a hint of respect.

"You know very well what I mean. You have attacked an innocent person—a friend, no less. What," He enunciated every word carefully, power wrapping around him, making him grow a couple of inches taller. "Is. The meaning. Of this."

Levy glanced back at the injured man as if just remembering his existence. "Oh, that. He was annoying. Kept shoving that damned recorder in my face. He was asking me these stupid, pointless questions. I told him to stop, but he didn't listen." Her voice was harsh, bored, cruel. The citizens were so confused, used to the sweet, head-in-the-clouds script mage, but the wizards of the guild were on guard. They had seen the changes in Levy and Gajeel over the few weeks since they'd returned.

"What's goin' on here?" Gajeel pushed his way through the crowd, and every onlooker felt a shiver down their spines. Gajeel took one look at the mages pointing attacks at his mate, and his eyes grew hard and cold. Evie, tucked into his arms, stirred and awoke, looking around in confusion. "Lev?"

Levy sighed and stepped towards her mate, the circle closing around them again. "Like I was telling them, the idiot wouldn't take no for an answer, kept asking me these stupid questions, just like always." She scowled. "I just…couldn't take it anymore."

The Master took a slow breath. "I taught you better than this, child." He said quietly. "You attacked him, without provocation—an unsuspecting, unarmed man."

Levy sighed and rolled her eyes. "It wasn't without provocation, old man. Like I said. He was annoying."

"What has happened to you, Levy?" He asked.

Levy surprised them all by laughing. Not her usual sweet giggle, but a dark, loud, slightly threatening laugh. "Nothing has happened to me. _That's the problem_." She was grinning, looking fierce and almost hysterical. "Gods, this guild…I can't believe I could stand it this long. Always so innocent, so pure, so fucking _good_."

"You're doin' this now?" Gajeel asked, tensing and tightening his grip on their daughter.

Levy gave him an exasperated look. "You of all people should know what I'm talking about. What happened to the adventure, to the pure pleasure of using our power?"

"Explain." Makarov ordered. "Explain to me where this is coming from."

"I am!" Levy whirled as she shouted, and dust picked up from her feet…except it wasn't just dust. It wasn't tan like the dirt on the road; it was a dark grey. And it didn't drift back down to the pavement, but rather continued to shift and move around her ankles and calves. Her eyes flashed. "I can't stand it anymore, old man. I can't! I've pushed it all down, for twelve years. Twelve horrible, boring, agonizing years of pretending and I just can't fucking do it anymore."

"Levy," Lucy whimpered. "What has been going on? You're different."

Levy laughed again, turning her attention to the two flame dragons. "Maybe I am, _blondie_. Maybe I am different. Or maybe I've just stopped pretending to be someone I'm not." She spun slowly to glare at the Master. "Surely your memory isn't that short, _Master_." She said the word mockingly. "Surely you remember who I was when the council brought me to you all those years ago."

Makarov's eyes flashed with a clear warning. "Levy McGarden," He began, his voice slow and deliberate and ringing with finality.

"Where did you come up with a name like that anyway?" Levy broke in. "McGarden? It even sounds sweet and innocent." Her arms dropped to her side, and the dust swirled and lifted, spiraling around her waist and up her torso. "Why don't you call me by my real name, Makarov? The one you stole from me, the one you hid from everyone else so that your precious guild would not be looked down on by the rest of the world?"

"Levane Evesque Darkwing!" He boomed, pointing a finger down at her. There were gasps from all around them. The circle of spellcasters flinched. Some took a step back, horror on their faces, and some stepped closer, raising their hands and readying their spells. "That is quite enough! You are not—"

"I'm not what?!" Levy roared. "I'm not my _parents_? I'm not a bad _person_? I'm not the wizard you'd always feared I would become? Ha!" Her eyes flashed. "Don't think I couldn't see the way you watched me like a hawk. I know you put those two _idiots_ on me from day one," She pointed to where Jet and Droy were cowering in horror. "To keep an eye on me. Why do you think I was so docile, for so long? I was just biding my time until I had enough power to leave this place without you following me around for the rest of my life!"

"Levy," Gajeel warned, eyeing the wizards around them. "Maybe right now isn't-"

She barked a laugh. "Right now is the perfect time. I can't do it, Gajeel. I know we said we would wait, but I can't. I won't. Are you with me?"

Gajeel smirked her way. "You know I'm always with ya, shorty." Levy's grin widened. Evie shifted and reached up, twirling a fist in Gajeel's long locks.

"Evie. You didn't even ask about her name." She glanced back at Makarov. "Did I ever tell you, old man? Her full name?" Makarov's glare was flinty and full of pain. "Evesque. Evesque Michaelson Redfox, after the parents you and all of those other _heroes_ stole from me." People in the crowd of onlookers cursed and made signs to ward off evil, most of them backing away another few steps. "I suppose it was a bit of a rebellious moment for me." She shrugged. "I was emotional. I guess the cat is out of the bag, old man. No more hiding me now. So, what are you going to do about it?"

Makarov took a long, endless breath. "Levane Evesque Darkwing." He repeated, this time infusing his words with power and pointing a long finger at the blunette. "You have fallen farther than any of my children before you. I tried to help you, tried to carve out a better life for you than the one you'd been born to, but you no longer want any part of it. So, I am fulfilling your wish. For your crimes against Jason, for your crimes against the guild, for hurting a guildmate, and—gods help me—for the crimes of your family, I banish you from Fairy Tail. From here on, you will walk alone. You will not be recognized by any Fairy Tail wizard. You shall never again enter our guild hall. You are no longer welcomed on our holy land. And you no longer have my protection from the magic council. And Gajeel," He turned his pained, fiery gaze on him. "Do you follow her into the darkness you tried so hard to escape?" Gajeel just smirked and lifted his chin. "So be it."

Levy laughed, then her face screwed up in a grimace. The guild mark on her back glowed, then, in a burst of energy and light that stopped the magic flowing from Levy herself and brought the mage to her knees with a pained cry, the mark vanished. Levy fell forward onto her hands and knees for a moment, panting. Gajeel's smirk fell slightly as his mark did the same, melting off his skin. When Levy caught her breath, she let the pain and rage fill her, and slowly clenched her fists in the dirt. The iron flakes in the ground that had fallen when her mark shattered began gathering again, pooling at her back and her forehead. She rose to her feet and lifted her head, shrugging out of the jacket she had been wearing since the tomb. Those behind her gasped, and someone began crying as the mark of the Gift glowed a dim black, finally fully freed. The iron began to build behind her, and on her brow grew an iron circlet, with the Devil's Pixie guild crest in the center, shining in the sunlight. Impossibly thin dragonfly wings, delicately laced, grew behind her back and fluttered. "So be it," she echoed. "Don't follow us. You'll regret it."

She took a step, then another. The crowds parted for her, giving her a wide berth. She could see it in their eyes. They now knew the monster prowling in their midst. They walked until they hit the outskirts of the city, then kept going, not glancing behind them.


End file.
